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HISTORY 



...OF... 



DuRELL's Battery 



...IN THE.... 



CIVIL WAR 

(INDEPLNUENl BATTERY D. PENNSYLVANIA 
VOLUNTEER ARTILLERY.) 




Ov 



'tl 



A Narralive of the Campaigns and Baltics o( Berks 
and Bucks Counties' Artillerists in the War ot 
the Rebellion, from the Battery's Organization. 
September 24. 1861. to its Muster Out of 
Service. June 13. 1865. 



^ 




SEP 10 1904 
D.ofD, 



TO THE MEMORY 



OF THE 



OFFICERS AND MEN 

OF 

DURELL'S INDEPENDENT BATTERY D, 

Pennsylvania Volunteer Aimillikv. 

Whose devotion to their Country in the time of her peril is their 
enduring honor, this bool< is offered as a sincere tribute. 



Appro\ al of Durell's Batter\ Association. 



Heladvuarters Durell's Battery Ass«_>ciation. 
Reading, Pa., October 31. 1903. 

At the Annual Reunion of Durell's Batten- Association, held 
at Reading, Pa., on September 26, 1903, it was unanimously 
resolved that the material collected by the Historical Committee 
of the Battery Association be approved, and that Lieut. Charles 
A. Cuffel. the battery historian, be authorized to publish the same 
in book form. 

HORACE D. BOONE. Sec re tan. 



PREFACE. 

Soon after the organization of Dureli's Batter)- Association, 
which was effected in 1880. a committee was appointed for the 
collection of historical matter, with the object of preserving the 
services of the batter}' from obli\ion. The committee has had a 
long and difficult task to perform : but the work has nevertheless, 
been a pleasant one, recalling those stirring days of the past in 
which the command played its part in the great War of the 
Rebellion. 

Little note of the services of Durell's Battery has been taken 
by the historians of the Civil War. Nothing more has been 
attempted here than a faithful account of its experience in the 
marches, campaigns and battles through which it passed, and in 
which it rendered such loyal and eftective service. (lenerous aid 
has been rendered by surviving comrades, who have kindly assist- 
ed in supplying incidents and dates from journals kept at that time. 

The historian is conscious of imperfections in the text, but he 
has endeavored to be accurate. The committee was fortunate in 
securing the excellent illustrations drawn by Mr. WiUiam T. Trego, 
the well-known painter of military subjects, and portraits and re- 
productions of war-time photographs through the coxirtesy of the 

War Department. 

CHARLES A. CUFFEL. 

Battery Historian. 

Dovlestown, Pa., October 31, 1003. 



CONTENTS. 



CIIAl'JKR I. 

OkCANIZATION. I'A(jK. 

The First Camp — Recruits from Reading — Roster of Company — 
Lesson on Discipline — Picnic Marches — Off to the Front — Fare- 
well of the Citizens — The March Through Philadelphia — Recep- 
tion at Baltimore — Camp at Washington — Detached from the 
104th Regiment — Assigned to Artillery Camp .' 17 

C11APT1;R II. 

At 1 iiK From. 

Advance into X'irginia — IJailey's Cross Roads — Attached to 
McDowell's Division — Christmas Dinner— -Ruin of the Country 
— Construct Quarters— Drills and Inspections — Funeral of Gen. 
Lander — Gifts from Rcadinir's Aid Societv . . 21; 



CHAPTER III. 

AnvANCK UroN Manassks. 

Leave Camp Du Pont — Fail fax Court Mouse — Camp on Confederate 
Ground — 'Ihe Fnemy Aliandons Manasses — March in a Storm — 
Return to Camp Du Pont — Await Orders to Ship for the Peninsula 
— Grand Review 30 

CI I APT FR IV. 

Cai'TIRE 01 Frkhkricksiuuc;. 

Attached to the Iron Brigade — March to Bristoe Station — Snow 
Bound — Small-po.\ in Camp — Foraging for Subsistance — Lost on 
the March — Engagement at Falmouth — The Enemy Flees from 
I'"rederickshurg — Reviewed by the President 34 

CHAPTER \ . 

PiiKSiUNc; " SroNKWAi.i. " Jackson. 

A Hasty March to Thoroughfare Gap — Looking for Guerillas — Return 
March Via Ilaymarket and Warrenton — First Ration of Whisky 
and Quinine — Lieut, l.eoser— Return to I'rederickshurg — The 
New York Recruits 42 



CHAPTER VI. ~ 

Camp Like at Frederickskurc. r.w.E. 
Celebrating July Fourth — Red Tape — Death of Bluch — In a Southern 
Church — Swapping Horses — Health of the Battery — The Team- 
sters — The Refugees — Foraging — Reconnoitering 47 

CHAPTER VII. 

Pope's Retreat — Kelly's Ford and Bristoe. 
Joined to the Ninth Corps — March to Culpepper — Pope's Army — 
Cedar Mountain — Retreat by Night — Battle of Kelly's Ford — 
Support Buford's Cavalry — A Lively Fight — A Narrow Escape — 
A Successful Reconnoisance— General Reno — March Up the 
Rappahannock — A Detail for the Cavalry - Shelled Out of Camp 
— Fight for a Bridge — Defend a River Ford — Struck by Light- 
ning — Fayetteville — Scarcity of Rations — Warrenton Junction — 
Arrival of McClellan's Troops — Move with Hooker — Enemy Cuts 
the Railroad— Battle of Bristoe — The Enemy Repulsed — A Beef- 
steak Supper 52 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Bull Run and Chantilly. 
Destruction of Manassas — Bury a Dead Confederate — On the Bull 
Run Field — A Charge and Repulse — Night on the Battlefield — A 
Federal Defeat — Rescue of the Gun — The Retreat — Make a 
Stand at Centreville — An Unexpected Meeting — Battle of Chan- 
tilly — Death of Kearney and Stevens — Fighting in a Thunder 
Storm — Retire to Washington 63 

CHAPTER IX. 

Maryland Campaign — South Mountain. 
Relit at Washington — March into Maryland — Battle of South Moun- 
tain — Midnight on the Picket Line — Incidents of the Fight — 
Horrors of the Battlefield 71 

CHAPTER X. 
ALvryland Campaign — Antietam. 
Opening of the Battle — Shelled Out of Camp — Artillery Duel — 
Explode an Enemy's Caisson — Storming the Bridge — Reconnoitre 
the Enemy — Hard Fighting — Charge of Hawkins' Zouaves — 
Casualties— Ammunition Exhausted — Enemy Retires Across the 
Potomac 77 

CHAPTER XL 

Camping in Maryland. 
On the Potomac — An Historic Spot — Reviewed by Lincoln — Pleasant 
Valley — A Choice Mess — Apple Dumplings and Paw Paws — 
General Ferrero — Passes and Furloughs — Patrols and Stragglers 85 



CHAPTER XII. 

Pursuing the Enemy. vxgk. 

Death in Camp — Cross to Virginia — Marine Fever — Stages of the 
March— A Snow Storm— On Picket Duty — Amissville — Pleasan- 
ton's Cavalry — The Enemy in Sight— Short Rations 90 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Duel at White Sulphur Springs. 
Assault ujion the Baggage Wagons — A Hot Artillery Fight — Death of 
Lieutenant Mcllvain — The Enemy Repulsed — Camp at Fayette- 
ville — A Race with the Enemy 95 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Burnside's Fredericksburg. 
In Position Opposite the City — Rough Weather — Friendly Pickets — 
Movements of the Enemy — Lieutenant Leoser— Build Winter 
Quarters —Battle of Fredericksburg — Posted on Falmouth 
Heights— A Cold Night — Terrible Bombardment — A Forlorn 
Hope — A Bloody Battle — The Army Withdrawn — Finish Winter 
(Quarters — Mess Changes — Build Stables — New Year's Day, 1863 
— Spoliation of the Lacey Property— The Mud Campaign — Spirit 
of the Army — Burnside Relieved lOO 

CHAPTER XV. 

From Fredericksburg to Fortress Monroe. 
A March in Mid-Winter — Floundering in the Mud — Shipped on Canal 
Boats — An Oyster Feast — V'^oyage Down the Bay — Camp in the 
Ruins of Hampton — March to Newport News —First Sight of 
Cunboats 114 

CHAPTER XVI. 
The Kentucky Campaign. 
Embark for Baltimore — By Rail to Kentucky —Reception at Pittsburg 
— Lose a Caisson — Cincinnati's Hospitality — Arrive at Paris — 
March to Mount Sterling — Peculiarities of the Country — The 
Guerillas — The Town of Boone — The Lost Caisson Found — Paint 
Lick — Dick River — A Settlement of Differences 123 

CHAPTER XVII. 
From Kentucky to Vicksburg. 
The Blue Crass Region — From Lexington to Louisville by Rail — 
l-'.nibark for X'icksburg — Scenes on the Ohio — Down the Missis- 
sippi — Features of Memphis - On the Alert for Cuerillas — Meet 
Western Troops — Ruins Along the Shores — First View of \'icks- 
burg — March to Carthage — Return to Sherman's Landing — Up 
the \'azi)o — Land at Snyder's j'.luff 132 



CHAPTER XVIII. 
The Mississippi Campaign. pace. 

Intrench to Meet Johnston — Out-post Duty — Fight Mosquitoes and 
Fleas — Surrender of Vicksburg— March Against Johnston — Lose 
Caisson and Horses - Scarcity of Water — Incidents of the March 
— Shell Mississippi's Capital — Eastern and Western Pluck — The 
Insane Asylum— Evacuation of Jackson— Sacking the City — A 
Hard March— Return to Mill Dale —Await Transportation . . . 138 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Return to Kentucky. 
Much Sickness — Leave Vicksburg — The Hospitals — Disembark at 
Cairo— The Hospital Boat — Burial of the Dead — Treatment of 
the Sick — A Boat Collision — Camp at Covington — Unable to 
Follow the Corps — The Ohio Election 155 



CHAPTER XX. 
A Trip to Lake Erie. 
An Urgent Call — Plot to Release Confederate Prisoners — -The Journey 
Through Ohio — Johnson's Island — Awaiting the Conspirators — 
Drill Oreen Troops — The Prisoners — Return to Covington . . 



CHAPTER XXI. 
Covington Barracks. 
Winter Ouarters — Hospital Life — A Guidon from the Ladies of 
Bucks — The Second Best Battery — First Re-enlistments — Turn In 
the Horses — Christmas Day — Bounty Jumpers 164 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Veteranizing. 
Cold Beginning of 1864 — A Female Soldier — Deserter Reprieved — Re- 
enlist for Three Years More -Return of Ninth Corps Troops from 
Tennessee — Home on Veteran Furlough — The Battery Moves to 
Annapolis 168 



CHAPTER XXIII. 
Recruited, Reeitted am> Reokiianized. 
Veterans Return from P\irlough — Drilling Recruits — General Grant 
Inspects the Ninth Corps — Move to Washington — Receive a New 
Outfit — Cross to Virginia — March to Wanenton Junction . . . 175 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

From TiiK. Rai'IUAn to thk Jamks. pace. 
Assigned to the Colored Division — Guard the Supply Trains — Chancel- 
lorsville Battlefield — Flank Movements by Night — Battles of The 
Wilderness, Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor — Cross the Chicka- 
hominy and James Rivers — Shelled out of Camp — Arrive at Peters- 
burg l8o 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Assault the Peterskurc Lines. 
In the Trenches — Harassed by Sharj^shooters — Engage the Enemies' 
Batteries— The Awful Morter Shells— The Batteries' Wounded — 
Move to the Left — Fort Durell — Return to the Front Line — Oc- 
cupy Fort Morton 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

The Burnside Mine. 
Lying in Concealment — Spring the Mine — A Terrific Bombardment — 
Delay of the Assault — Charge and Repulse of the Colored Troops 
— The Crater a Slaughter- Pen — The Enemy Capture the Crater — 
A Truce — Investigation of the Affair — Recover the Dead and 
Wounded 195 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

Siege of Petersburg. 
Taylor Battery — Under Constant Fire — A Confederate Mine — Strength- 
ening the Lines— Suffering in the Trenches — Testing a Bomb- 
Proof — A Destructive Rain — Terrific Bombardment by the Enemy 
— A Terrible Crash of Shot and Shell — Relieved from the 



Trenches 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Wkldon Railroad and Ream's Station. 
Suppoii Warren at the Weldon Railroad — Return to a Former Camp — 
Hurried to the Support of Hancock — Battle of Ream's Station — 
Ciarrison Forts on the Rear Line — Building Fortifications — The 
Military Railroad — Shotted Salutes for the Enemy 206 



CHAPTER XXIX. 
Muster Out ov Three Yf;ARS' Men. 
Starting for Home — Sad Leave-Taking of Captain Durell — Roll of 
those Mustered Out — Lieutenant Rhoads Takes Command — Pro- 
motions in Reorganizing 



CHAPTER XXX. 
Peebles' Farm and Poplar Grove Church. page. 

Battle of Peebles' Farm — A Sharp Fight and a Union Victory - Advance 
to Poplar Grove Church — The Enemy Assaults and is Repulsed — 
Rhoads Receives a Captain's Commission — Other Promotions . . 215 



CHAPTER XXXT. 

Hatcher's Run. 

Forts Gregg and Welsh — Peace and Trade Relations on the Picket Line 

— -Ninth Corps Moves on Hatcher's Run — Repulse of the Enemy — 

Return to the Intrenchments — Movements of the Caissons— The 

Presidential Election — Build Winter (Quarters — Thanksgiving Day 



CHAPTER XXXH. 
Supporting the Cavalry. 
On the Rear Line of Intrenchments — The Battery Mans Three Forts 
— Build Winter Quarters — Raid on the Enemy's Communications 
— Shooting Deserters 224 



CHAPTER XXXHL 
Again at the Front. 
Posted in Forts Meikle, Rice and Sedgwick — Again Build Winter 
(Quarters — Close Proximity of the Lines — Fraternity on the Picket 
Line — Enemy Shell Fort Meikle — The Whitworths and the 
"Seven Sisters" — Confederates Desert — Caisson Park Shelled — 
Stormy Close of the Year 227 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 
The Siege in Winter. 
New Year, 1865 — Granting Furloughs — A Flag of Truce — Pickets 
Swamped Out of the Pits — Increase of Enemy's Deserters — Con- 
federate Peace Commission — -Prepare for the Spring Campaign — 
Celebration of Washington's Birthday— Shotted Salutes for the 
Enemy — Forts Meikle and Morton Bombarded — Enemy Capture 
a Herd of Beef 231 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

Battle of Fort Steadman. 
The Enemy Capture Fort Steadman — Charge of Hartranft's Pennsyl- 
vanians — Large Capture of the Enemy — -Storming the Confederate 
Picket Line— Sheridan's Cavalry Arrives 238 



CHAPTER XXXVI. pack. 

Capture ok Pktp:rsburg. 
The Final Bombardment— The Enemy Replies Vigorously — The 
Infantry Assault — Willcox Breaks the Line — Potter and Hartranft 
Equally Successful — Capture of Fort Mahone — Fierce Fighting 
to Hold the Points —Frantic Efforts of the Enemy — vSailor's Men 
Serve Captured Guns — The Battery Actively Engaged — Victory in 
Sight — Evacuation of Petersburg 241 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 
Pursuit and Surrender of Lee. 
Ninth Corps Enters Petersburg — The Battery Reduced to Four Guns 
— March Along the South Side Railroad — Lee's Surrender — 
Assassination of Lincoln 247 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
Return to Washington. 
March to City Point — Petersburg After the Evacuation — Embark for 
Alexandria — The Voyage Down the James and Up the Bay — 
Encamp at Fairfax Seminary — The Men Impatient to Go Home 250 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

The Grand Review and Musier-Out. 
Camps of the Great Army — The Two-Days' Review — The Army of 
the Potomac — Sherman's Army— Muster Out Orders — Parting 
With the Horses and Guns — The Journey to Philadelphia — 
Spring Mill Barracks — The Muster-Out 253 

Itinerary of the Battery 257 

Roster of the Battery 258 



DURELL'S BATTERY. 

BATTLES AND ENGAGEMENTS. 

Capture of Fredericksburg, Va., April i8th, 1862 

Kelly's Ford, Va., August 21st, 1862 

Bristoe Station, Va., August 27th, 1862 

Bull Run, Va., . . August 29th and 30th, 1862 

Chantilly, Va., September ist, 1862 

South Mountain, Md., September J4th, 1862 

Antietam, Md., September 17th, 1862 

White Sulphur Springs, Va., November 15th, 1862 

Fredericksburg, Va., December 12th to i6th, 1862 

Vicksburg, Miss., June 17th to July 4th, 1863 

Jackson, Miss., July loth to 17th, 1863 

The Wilderness, Va., . May 5th and 6th, 1864 

Todd's Tavern, Va., May 8th, 1864 

Po River, Va., May lOth, 1864 

Spottsylvania, Va., May 12th, 1864 

North Anna River, Va., May 23rd, 1864 

Pamunkey River, Va., May 28th, 1864 

Cold Harbor, Va., June 3rd, 1864 

Assaults on Petersburg, Va., June l6th to i8th, 1864 

Siege of Petersburg, Va., June 19th, 1864 to April 2nd, 1865 

The Burnside Mine, Va., July 30th, 1864 

Weldon Railroad, Va., August 19th, 1864 

Ream's Station, Va., . August 25th, 1864 

Peebles' Farm, Va., September 30th, 1864 

Poplar Grove Church, Va. October 1st, 1864 

Hatcher's Run, Va., October 27th, 1864 

Fort Steadman, Va., March 25th, 1865 

Final Assault on Petersburg, Va., April 2nd, 1865 

Appomattox, Va., April 9th, 1865 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE, 

Battery in Action, 5 

Captain George W, Durell, 23 

Lieutenant Lemuel Gries, 27 

Lieutenant George W. Silvis, 33 

Lieutenant Howard McIlvain, 37 

Lieutenant Christopher Leoser, 37 

Abraham Lincoln, 41 

Battery on Drill, 49 

McIlvain Going to the Support of Buford's Cavalry, ... 55 

Pope's Retreat — Destroying the Railroad, 6i 

Rescue of the Gun, 65 

Major-General Jesse L. Reno, 75 

Map of Antietam Battlefield, 77 

Infantry Giving a Helping Hand, 79 

Awaiting Orders to Cross the Burnside Bridge, 81 

Supporting the Charge of Hawkins' Zouaves, 83 

General Edward Ferrero, 87 

Major-General A. E. Burnside, 93 

Battle of Fredericksburg, 105 

On Picket in Winter, 109 

The Mud March, 113 

Major-General Joseph Hooker, 117 

Private Horace D. Boone — Of the Lineage of the Kentucky 

Pioneer, 127 

General Ulysses S. Grant, .... 141 

The First Guidon, 16^ 

The Wilderness, 181 

In the Wilderness — Thirty Years' After, 183 

Spottsylvania — One Year After the Battle 185 

Map OF Petersburg, 193 

Poplar Grove Church, 217 

Officers of Rhoads' Battery 219 

Winter Quarters Near Petersburg Lines, 223 

The "Seven Sisters," 229 

Fort Sedgwick, 235 

Major-General John F. Hartranft, 239 

Scene of the Assault on Petersburg Lines, 243 

Obstructions in Front of Fijrt Mahone 245 



CHAPTER I. 
Organization of the Battery. 

THE war for the Union was fairly under way ; the first l)attle 
of Bull Run had been fought and lost to the National cause, 
and the three-months troops had returned to their homes, 
when enlistments were begun for Durell's Ringgold Battery by 
Captain George W. Durell, of Reading, Pa. Its organization was 
started in connection with that of the 104th Pennsylvania Volunteer 
Infantry, under command of Colonel W. W. H. Davis, of Doyles- 
town, Pa., who had received authority from the War Department 
to recruit a regiment of infantry and a battery of artillery under 
President Lincoln's first call for 300,000 volunteers for three years' 
service. 

Captain Durell, fresh from his service as orderly sergeant of 
the Ringgold Artillery of Reading, which was among the First De- 
fenders to arrive in Washington at the outbreak of hostilities, was 
well qualified to organize and command a battery. He arrived at 
Camp Lacey, located on the Doylestown fairgrounds, where Colonel 
Davis had already gathered half a dozen companies of infantry, on 
September 13th, 1861, accompanied by thirty or forty recruits, 
principally from Berks County. This squad was in a few weeks 
increased by the enlistment of a number of men from Bucks, Mont- 
gomery, Chester, Philadelphia, and other points to almost the 
maximum number required to man a six-gun battery of light artil- 
lery. Three lieutenants were appointed and commissioned — 
Lemuel Cries, Howard Mcllvain and George W. Silvis, all of 
Reading. A few weeks before the departure from Camp Lacey 
the appointments of the non-commissioned officers were made, 
after which the company was marched to Doylestown and mustered 
into the United States service by Colonel Davis, in front of his 
printing office, for the term of three years or during the war, to 
date from September 24, 1861, when the company roster was as 

follows : 

17 



t8 



Durell's Battery. 



Captain. — George W. Durell, Reading. 

P'iRST Lieutenant. — 1-emuel Gries, Reading. 

First Lieutenant. — Howard Mcllvain, Reading. 

Second Lieutenant. — George W. Silvis, Reading. 

Orderly Serceant. — William P. Andrews, Doylestown. 

Quartermaster Serceant. — Azariali L. Ratz, Berks. 

Duty Sergeants. 



Harrison G. Bouse, Reading. 
James Q. Irwin, Waynesburg. 
Henry Sailor, Reading. 



B. Frank Bender, Waynesburg. 
William Dunlap, Reading. 
Robert Conard, Buckingliam. 
Jolin O. Burden, Pottstown. 
Mahlon B. Buckman, Newtown. 
L Carey Carver, Buckingham. 



Benjamin Albright, Hilltown. 
Daniel D. Althouse, Berks. 
William D. Althouse, " 
Amos Antrim, " 

George Barton, Bucks. 
Jacob Bauer, Waynesburg. 
Jacob L. Beam, " 

Stephen B. Bechert, Berks. 
Amos Bechtel, Reading. 
Charles C. Berg, " 
Valentine Bissey, Buckingham. 
James Bissey, " 

George Bluch, Berks. 
Valentine Bloomer, Bucks. 
Thomas L. Breese, " 
Henry L. Buck, Berks. 
Samuel O. Burden, Reading. 
Mark M. Caftrey, Bucks. 
(j. Ross Carver, Buckingham. 
Wellington F. Clouser, Reading. 
William Clouser, Reading. 
Henry C. Clymer, Bucks. 
Elias K. Cooper, " 
Nichola.s Cramer, Reading. 



George A. Everhart, Doylestown. 
Samuel K. Whitner, Reading. 
Samuel H. Rhoads, Amity. 



Corporals. 



James L. Mast, Reading. 
Oliver D. Giffins, Lehigh. 
Abraham D. Blundin, Hulmeville. 
William G. Mack, Berks. 
William J. Wealthy, Philadelphia. 
Frederick W. Berg, Reading. 



Privates. 



Robert W. Creighton, Philadelphia. 
Charles A. Cufifel, Doylestown. 
Joseph M. Cuffel, " 

John Coney, Newtown. 
William K. Cleaver, Berks. 
Cyrus Davidheiser, " 

George Douglass, Hulmeville. 
Joseph Derflinger, Bucks. 
Uriah H. Engle, Berks. 
John L. Everett, Kutztown. 
Christian Eyler, Reading. 
Charles A. Fageley, Bucks. 
Gotlieb Fageley, " 

Jacobs. Foster, ," 

Jesse D. P'oulke, Quakertown. 

William H. Frankin, Philadelphia. 
Jacob C. PVanks, Bucks. 

Michael F'ry, Adams. 

Richard S. Garber, Berks. 

Isaac R. Good, " 

Henry Graul, Reading. 

Hiram Grove, Berks. 

George W. Hagerman, Bucks. 

Henry Hargrave, Doylestown. 



Organization. 



19 



Privates — Continued. 



Reuben G. Herbine, Reading. 

George Hart, " 

Henry B. Hearing, Hilltown. 

Mahlon Y. Hill, Reading. 

William E. Hill, 

John Hinnershotz, " 

Joseph L. Hughes, Waynesburg. 

Monroe Jenkins, Hilltown. 

Charles Jones, Doylestown. 

Samuel Johnston, Reading. 

Amos Knabb, " 

George L. Knopp, " 

Isaac S. Knowles, Bucks. 

Adley B. Lawrence, Waynesburg. 

Oliver C. Leidy, Montgomery. 

Joseph Lear, Solebury. 

John L. Lewis, Montgomery. 

.S. Richard Lewis, Reading. 

George F. Ludwig, Berks. 

Henry Leidig, Reading. 

Henry Lenhart, Bucks. 

Charles H. MacCorkle, Hulmeville. 

Ezra McKinstry, Plumstead. 

William S. McNair, Doylestown. 

Stewart McAlees, Bucks. 

Aaron Martin, Reading. 

Frederick K. Miller, Reading. 

Henry Miller, " 

John W. Morris, " 

George W. Moyer, Reading. 



Daniel W. Noll, Reading. 

Joseph Ney, Waynesburg. 

J. Beatty Price, Buckingham. 

William H. Quaintance, Waynesburg. 

Henry Y. Rauh, Germany. 

James -S. Rich, Buckingham. 

John M. Rich, " 

Charles Reigling, Lehigh. 

John Rightmyer, Berks. 

Harrison K. Rhoads, Berks. 

John R. Rice, Doylestown. 

Albert H. Reider, Reading. 

John C. Sherwood, Bucks, 

Isaac C. Sterner, Berks. 

Patrick Scanlon, Doylestown. 

Andrew J. Schweimler, Reading. 

Henry M. Seagrist, Bucks. 

Jacob H. Schaffer, Reading. 

Henry Schlichter, " 

Henry C. Stabler, Lehigh. 

John C. Schmidt, " 

Isaiah J. Sellers, Hilltown. 

Martin H. Smith, Doylestown. 

John L. .Smith, Hulmeville. 

John H. Thompson, Bucks. 

Levi Thomas, Hilltown. 

Edward H. White, Solebury. 

Emanuel Wolf, Doylestown. 

Charles P. Weissig, " 

Bertolet Y. Yoder, Berks. 



The company was daily trained at foot drill, and soon attained 
such proficiency that its manceuvres attracted the admiration of the 
spectators at the evening dress parades of the regiment. Among 
the noteworthy incidents which occurred while in this camp was the 
shooting of an infantryman by I. Carey Carver. The latter was on 
guard duty at one end of the camp near the fair ground on a very dark 
and cloudy night, when some person attempted to cross his beat 
and scale the fence. The sentinel called upon the intruder to halt, 
and, the challenge being unheeded, fired with a pistol, the ball 
taking effect in the calf of the latter' s leg. The report of the pistol 
created a great commotion, both in the infantry and artillery 
camps, which were separated by about five hundred yards distance. 
The identity of the disobedient soldier was soon ascertained. His 
intention was to cUmb the fence and take ' ' French leave ' ' for 



20 Durell's Battery. 

town or for his home. The bullet, passing only through flesh, the 
wound did not prove serious, so that the wounded man soon re- 
covered, and Carey Carver received a corporal's chevrons for first 
blood drawn by the battery. 

While at Camp Lacey the regiment and battery made two short 
marches out into the country — the first to attend a Union mass 
meeting held in a grove near Danborough, five miles from camp, 
on the 5th of October. The next morning, Sunday, after Divine 
service, the entire command was marched to Neshaminy creek, in 
the neighborhood of the Castle Valley bridge, where the men 
stripped for a bath and disported themselves in that quiet and 
peaceful stream much to the amusement of the spectators. 

The second march was made on the 17th of October, to 
Hartsville, to attend a Union festival, held partly in honor of the 
regiment, where the citizens gave the soldiers a warm reception, 
the ladies setting out a bountiful collation. His excellency. Gover- 
nor Andrew G. Curtin, accompanied by his staff, visited Camp 
Lacey on October 21st, for the purpose of presenting the State 
colors to the regiment. The occasion drew a very large number 
of people from the surrounding country. 

The next important event was the order to "pack up" and 
move to Washington. The orders for the journey were read at dress 
parade on the evening of Tuesday, November 5th. Reveille was 
sounded about 4 o'clock in the morning, and long before daylight 
everything was in readiness for the march. Though the orders 
were announced but the evening before, there were several hun- 
dred civilians, upon the camp-ground to see the boys off. The 
skies were dark and threatened rain, and many faces both of soldiers 
and civilians, bore a sad appearance, as if in sympathy with the 
weather. Some time after daylight the men fell into ranks and 
marched up State street to Main and down Main to the Doyles- 
town depot, where they boarded the cars in waiting for them. By 
this time nearly every citizen of the town, and many from the sur- 
rounding country, had gathered at the station to see the soldiers 
off to the front. The last farewell was given — alas, it was the last 
one forever to many of them — and the train moved away from the 
depot amid the shouts and tears and waving handkerchiefs and hats 
of civilians and soldiers. 

The troops were greeted at every station along the road by 
large crowds of people who had received word that the regiment 
was to pass through on its way to Washington. No stops were 



Organization. 21 

made at the way stations, so that the people at those points had to 
content themselves with waving a last adieu as the train rushed by. 

Arrived at Philadelphia the regiment disembarked at Master 
street and marched down Fourth to the Volunteer Refreshment 
Saloon, which was located in the vicinity of the old navy yard. A 
drizzHng rain had set in and the air wae very sultry. Overcoats 
were ordered to be worn on leaving the cars, which, with the heavy 
knapsacks carried by the green soldiers, fatigued many of the men 
so that they had no appetite to eat the excellent dinner spread 
before them, for which the refreshment saloon became so famous 
among the troops who were fed there on their way to the front. 

After a rest of about an hour, the march was again resumed 
(now without overcoats), to the Baltimore depot via Washington 
avenue. The entire march through the city was an ovation, the 
whole population along the route apparently turned out to cheer 
the troops and wish them God-speed. Women, men, boys and 
girls, came loaded with eatables and gave to the soldiers. Cars 
were boarded near the Baltimore depot, the train leaving at about 
4. 30 in the evening. 

The night ride to Baltimore was an uneventful one, though 
there was a heavy fall of rain part of the time. At daylight the 
next morning the train entered Baltimore, the scene of the riot 
with the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment a few months before, which 
event seemed to be uppermost in the minds of the men as they 
disembarked from the cars. The regiment had not proceeded far 
upon the march through the streets of that city before it was noticed 
that there was a sad lack of enthusiasm for the Union soldier, com- 
pared with that exhibited in Philadelphia the day before. The colored 
people appeared to be almost the only class to cheer the regiment 
and the Union cause, while crowds of whites stood sullenly at the 
street corners, and some of the small boys cheered for Jeff Davis. 
The march to the Washington depot was unmolested, however, and 
the men were again packed into cars. The skies had cleared 
and the men were in good spirits. The railroad to Washington 
was guarded by soldiers, as it was still considered in danger of being 
torn up by the Confederates. 

Washington was reached on the afternoon of the 7th, when 
the regiment was marched into a large building near the railroad 
depot, called the "Soldier's Rest," and given a good meal of 
soldier's fare consisting of coffee, beef and bread, from cups and 
plates of tin. The regiment was then marched by the Capitol and 



22 Durell's Battery. 

through the city to Kalorama Heights, where it bivouacked after 
dark. The night was clear and frosty. The men built fires and 
spread their blankets upon the ground and laid down to rest around 
the fires. In the morning everything was covered with a white 
frost, but for the most part all slept comfortably. 

The next morning tents were pitched and the men made as 
comfortable as they had been at Camp Lacey. Upon every hand 
was to be seen signs of army hfe— snow-white encampments, long 
trains of army wagons, regiments arriving and regiments at drill. 

Captain Durell at once resumed the daily foot drills of his 
company, in which it had now become quite proficient, and the 
men were anxious to receive their horses and guns. It was com- 
mon camp report that the company was to be equipped with rifles 
and retained with the regiment as a skirmish battalion, to which 
there was no small amount of demurring. They had enlisted for 
the artillery service, and wanted horses and guns. But their minds 
were soon set at rest upon this question by the issue of an order 
from the War Department providing for the consolidation of the 
artillery, and sending all companies organized for that branch of 
the service to a camp of artillery instruction. In compliance with 
this order Captain Durell marched his company to Camp Duncan, 
located on East Capitol Hill, just one week after the arrival at Kalo- 
rama Heights. The company was sorry to leave the regiment, yet 
glad at the prospect of receiving the equipment they wanted. It 
was at the time supposed that the separation would be but tem- 
porary, and that it would be returned to the regiment after receiv 
ing the proper ecpiipment and instruction. But the battery never 
rejoined the regiment. 

The artillery company left Kalorama on the afternoon of 
November 14th, in a light rain, and marched through the city to 
its new camping place which it reached just before dark. The 
wagons carrying the camp ecpiipage came up promptly, so that the 
tents were soon pitched and shelter obtained for the men, but 
there was no wood at hand for fires with which to boil the coffee. 
A battery of (iermans from New York, beside whose camp the 
Ringgolds had pitched their tents, kindly made and brought over 
to the newcomers several kettles of this important beverage of the 
soldier. It was served to the company, but it proved to possess 
such a villainously saline taste that no one could drink it. The 
(jermaus were very much mortified when they discovered that 
they had used salt with which to sweeten the coffee, and immedi- 



Organization. 23 

ately proceeded to make a fresh supply, which was soon brought 
over and served with profuse apologies for the mistake. Thus was 
the bond of comradeship between the New York Germans and the 
Pennsylvania ' ' Dutch ' ' formed and sealed at once. 

The splendid autumn weather of the days that followed while 
in this camp were improved in driUing, and, when passes could be 
obtained, in visiting the city, the men usually going out in squads 
of from two to six in number. They visited the Capitol where 
Congress was then sitting ; the Smithsonian Institution, the various 
department buildings, the arsenal and other points of interest. 
Occasionally one would pass a night in the guard house, having 
been overtaken by the provost guard and arrested for overstaying 
the time allotted by his pass, or for having indulged too freely in 
the stimulating beverage of John Barleycorn. There were, how- 
ever, a number of religious young men in the company, who 
attended services at a nearby Methodist church as often as they 
could obtain passes to leave camp, both on the Sabbath and dur- 
ing the week. 

It was an unfailing source of amusement for the company to 
witness the manoiuvers of the New York Germans every morning 
when they started out of camp for field drill. Many of these men 
were unskilled in the art of handhng or riding horses, and the 
horses were green in the service and some of them vicious. Many 
of the latter balked, kicked or plunged about, while the men 
whipped and murdered the king's "Dutch," occasionally one of 
the drivers being unhorsed and measuring his length upon the 
ground. The comic scenes displayed upon these occasions 
remained a source of amusing reminiscence around the camp 
fires of the battery during the entire period of its service. 

On November 17th, the company received its first visit from 
the army paymaster, when each private was paid ;^i6.o3, that 
being the amount due from September 24th to November ist. 
Everyone in camp appeared to be "short," so that this visit, as 
all subsequent visits from the paymaster proved to be, was a very 
agreeable and welcome one. 

On November 28th the company received its quota of horses. 
Quite a number of the men were eager to have horses, while 
others desired to serve as cannoneers. Captain Durell wisely 
called the men into line, and requested all who wished to serve as 
drivers to step two paces to the front. Fortunately the required 
number of drivers stepped forward, so that the matter of choosing 



24 Durell's Battery. 

drivers and cannoneers was settled without clash or disappoint- 
ment. Half a dozen posts were planted in the ground, to which 
a heavy picket-rope was attached, stretched from post to post, and 
the horses tied thereto. Here they remained night and day, in 
rain or sunshine, without any shelter whatever, the monotony 
being broken but twice a day when they were taken to the Eastern 
Branch of the Potomac River, near the arsenal, for water. 

About ten days later the harness was received and fitted to 
the horses, and on the 12th of December the company received 
four rifled Parrott and two smooth bore brass guns, six caissons, a 
battery wagon, a forge, and three baggage wagons with their com- 
plement of animals and harness. The A-tents were turned in 
about the same time and Sibley tents provided, eighteen men 
being assigned to each tent. From this date the command was a 
full-fledged "battery." But it had not yet undergone a single 
field- drill when orders were received to march forward into Vir- 
ginia. Sabres were issued to the non-commissioned officers and 
drivers the evening before the march 

Two deaths occurred while at Camp Duncan, both from 
typhoid fever, and there were several men in the hospital suffer- 
ing from chills and fever. The first death was that of Jacob H. 
Schaeffer, which occurred on December 8th, the other was 
Christian Eyler, on December nth. The remains of the first 
man were sent to his late home in Reading, each member of the 
battery contributing a dollar for this purpose. Two men returned 
from the hospital and reported for duty a few days before the 
departure for Virginia. 




At the Front. 25 



R 



CHAPTER II. 

At the Front. 

^^ f) OOTS-AND-SADDLES " was sounded on the morning 
of December i8th, when the battery moved out of its 
"camp of instruction," without having received any 
training with horses and cannon whatever, and marched directly 
toward the enemy. But the horses and men worked together 
remarkably well for the first attempt, so that the march through 
the streets of Washington, at least, did not bring disgrace upon 
the command. 

When the Long Bridge was reached, it was found to be out of 
repair. This made necessary a circuitous route to the Chain 
Bridge, over which the Potomac River was crossed into Virginia. 
The distance to the new camp was but nine miles, but so many 
halts were made that it was 10 o'clock in the evening when the 
battery parked at Camp DuPont, which was located about half a 
mile from Bailey's Cross Roads, alongside the camp of three bat- 
teries of General McDowell's artillery. The fortifications of 
Munson's Hill were but a few hundred yards distant. They were 
built by the Confederates but were now occupied by the troops of 
McDowell, to whose command the battery was now assigned. 
Tents were pitched, coffee boiled, supper eaten, and the men rolled 
into their blankets to sleep the sweet sleep of a march weary sol- 
dier. The next day the quarters were rearranged, and on the day 
following, details of men were sent to the pine woods near by to 
cut and carry into camp, poles and pine brush for the construction 
of sheds for the shelter of the horses, which were completed in 
a few days. 

The four batteries of McDowell's Division, consisting of Bat- 
tery B, Fourth Regulars, Monroe's Rhode Island, the First New 
Hampshire and Durell's Batteries, were under command of Cap- 
tain John Ciibbon, of the regular battery, chief of artillery of the 
division. Durell's Battery was at once introduced into the myste- 
ries of gun drill and soon acquired a superficial knowledge of hand- 
ling and manceuvering the cannon by hand. Joseph M. Cuftel and 
James S. Rich were appointed buglers, and William S. McNair to 



26 Durell's Battery. 

carry the guidon. The latter was also detailed as battery mail car- 
rier, whose duty it was to take the mail every morning to Wash- 
ington and return with mail for the battery in the evening. 

The weather at this time was very pleasant, there having been 
no rain for about a month previous to Christmas eve. That night 
there was a pretty heavy rain fall, which gave the battery an ex- 
perience with "Virginia mud." Christmas dinner, the next day, 
consisted of a plate of boiled rice and sugar for each man, though 
some who had money purchased mince pie, hawked through the 
camps by Washington pedlers. A few boxes were also received 
from home containing turkey, pies, and other dehcacies 

This region of country having been alternately in the posses- 
sion of the Confederate and Union armies had been stripped of 
fences and crops, and in many cases the buildings had been de- 
stroyed. It was little better than a desert Every particle of fence 
for miles around the encampment had been cleared by the soldiers 
and used by them for fire wood ; and fruit and ornamental trees 
had been felled for fuel. It was the enemy's country, and the 
Union soldiers did not feel much like sparing what little improve- 
ments they found. 

The men were now quartered in Sibley tents provided with 
a sheet- iron stove in the centre. Cedar boughs were found to 
make the best bed, upon which the rubber blanket was spread. 
This made tolerably comfortable quarters. But there was much 
wet weather during the winter which made soldiering anything but 
pleasant. 

The roads were at times almost impassable from frequent 
freezing and thawing of the ground. At intervals it would rain, 
hail or snow for days in succession. Twelve horses were some- 
times required to haul one of the guns through the mud. Before 
the middle of January the animals stood in nearly a foot of mud 
in the cedar stables, and many were terribly afflicted with scratches. 
They were taken out and tied in the woods and the men set to 
work in placing a corduroy floor in the stables. 

On the 3rd of January the troops were treated to a view of a 
sham battle, given by ten regiments of infantry, three batteries of 
artillery and one regiment of cavalry. It took ])lace about half a 
mile from camp, between Bailey's Cross Roads and Munson's 
Hill. ( )n the 19th the battery received a new lot of sabres. The 
belts were taken from the old ones and attached to the new. The 
next day the men were given their first sabre drill under command 




LIEUTENANT LEMUEL GRIES 



At the Front. 27 

of Lieut. Mcllvain. The battery was about this time put through 
a series of inspections, of horses, guns, drill, camp, clothing, etc. , 
which appeared to come every few days, rain or shine. Upon one 
occasion the command was kept in line in a cold rain that froze as 
it fell, the men returning to their quarters with icicles hanging 
from their hair and clothing. 

On the 25th of January the paymaster made his second call 
upon the battery, and gave the men two month's pay — $26 to each 
private soldier. 

On the 27th the battery went out on its first section drill. 
The horses and men did admirably, much to the surprise and 
gratification of all. The drill ground showed very mournfully the 
desolation of war. Within its bounds could be seen the ruins of 
four large mansions — merely a few bricks or a half-burnt piece of 
timber, showing the ruthless hand of the destroyer. The ground 
that was once a garden was cut up with the heavy wheels and horse 
hoofs of the artillery, the dried cabbage stalks still standing in their 
places like so many grim sentinels guarding the deserted abode of 
the other vegetables, once their companions. Not a fence rail 
remained, and the only resemblance to an enclosure were two 
^ heavy gate posts, left in their positions from the fact that they 
were too unweildy to be removed. A circular excavation, with a 
half choked-up stream running from it, marked a fish pond. Fire 
and the axe had obliterated all else. Scarcely a house in that 
section, belonging at that time to a man of Union sentiments, was 
left standing. The Union soldiery retahated and destroyed the 
property of the Confederates. 

An old pie woman from Washington visited the camp regu- 
larly every day, and the battery boys gave her a very liberal 
patronage, so much so, that failure on her part to put in an 
appearance as usual was deemed quite a calamity. 

The winter at Camp DuPont was an e.xceedingly rainy and 
disagreeable one. From the first of the year to the 6th of Feb- 
ruary there were twenty-six days of stormy weather, with either 
rain or snow. Up to this time there were only two cases of 
sickness in the camp, and those were slight cases of diarrhcea. 
There was no regular doctor for the battery and the sick had to go 
up to the surgeon of Battery B, Fourth Regulars. There was no 
chaplain in the camp, which consisted merely of four batteries unat- 
tached to any regiment or brigade. The Sunday work was never 
over until noon. There were no drills on that day, but the regular 
Sunday morning inspection was equivalent to drill. 



28 Durell's Battery. 

Camp life grew very monotonous, though it was somewhat 
relieved by target practice. The battery on one occasion beat the 
regulars shooting, all the balls nearing the target and two passing 
through it, while all of their' s fell short. 

News of General Grant's victories at Forts Henry and Don- 
aldson were received in the camps with much rejoicing. The bat- 
tery's camp was located within a mile of Upton's Hill. From its 
breastworks could be seen the camps of some thirty regiments of 
McDowell's Corps. On February 9th, the left and centre sections 
of the battery were taken out for drill, to accustom the horses that 
had not yet undergone a fire, to the report of the guns. Two 
rounds of blank cartridges were fired and nearly all of the horses 
took it very quietly. Those in the teams behaved better than the 
officer's horses. 

There were frequent gun and field drills as the weather permitted. 
The difference between these drills was as follows : A battery of 
light artillery was divided into six gun detachments, consisting of 
fifteen men in each ; nine cannoneers and six drivers ; each under 
the command of a sergeant, who was called the chief of piece. He 
had two corporals, of whom one was the gunner and the other the 
chief of caisson, in charge of the ammunition belonging to his piece. 
The sergeant was not only responsible for the condition of his men 
and the care of his twelve horses, harness, etc. , but also for the 
proficiency of the men in the service of the piece. Two detach- 
ments formed a section, each section being under command of a 
lieutenant. There were three sections, denominated the right, 
centre and left sections. The first and second detachments com- 
posed the right section ; the fifth and sixth, the centre, and the 
third and fourth, the left. The first heutenants had command of 
the right and left sections, the senior second lieutenant the centre, 
and the junior second lieutenant had charge of the line of caissons 
and ammunition. In field drills the drivers were trained as well 
as the cannoneers, as the teams were all harassed and must move 
from the parks to more extensive grounds for monteuvering. When 
all the sections man(euvered together as a battery, they were under 
the charge of the captain. Section or field drills prepared the men 
for manoeuvering, and gun drills for service at the piece. 

February 14th was celebrated as St. Valentine's Day. It 
marked a new era in the personal comfort of some of the men. 
Cupid had certainly visited them in an unexpected manner. They 
found that they were in possession of something they never felt 



At the Front. 29 

before, and that the strange visitor stuck to them closer than a 
brother. The new-comer was christened " grayback," and his 
presence continued to be a source of annoyance, on sundry occas- 
ions, throughout the term of service. 

The guns of the battery had, up to this time, consisted of two 
smooth-bore brass pieces and four ten-pound rifle Parrott guns. 
On tlie 20th of February, the brass pieces were turned in at the 
arsenal at Washington, and two Parrott guns were received in their 
place. Washington's Birthday was celebrated by a salute of thirty- 
four guns from the battery. 

A detachment of Durell's Battery had the honor of being de- 
tailed to carry the remains of General Lander to their last resting 
place. His body had been brought to Washington from a Western 
battle-field where he fell. The ammunition chests were removed 
from one of the caissons, upon which the coffin was placed for con- 
veyance to the burying ground. 

On the 28th of February, the battery received two boxes of 
clothing sent by the Aid Society of Reading. Their contents con- 
sisted of woolen gloves and stockings, knit of home-spun yarn, 
very heavy, the latter with double heels and toes. The men were 
pleased with the present and cheered the Berks County girls to the 
echo. 

The camp was now full of rumors as to the proposed forward 
movement of the Army of the Potomac. An advance upon the 
Confederates at Manassas was houi-^y expected. This, it was said, 
would crush the rebellion in Virginia, as General (Jrant had 
crushed it in Tennessee, and the war would be of short duration. 
In fact, some of the men expected to return to their homes before 
the 4th of July, and were speculating upon the fine time they 
would then have. These speculations were a source of consider- 
able amusement when recalled around the camp-fires many a day 
afterward. 



s 



3© Durell's Battery. 



CHAPTER III. 

Advance Upon Manassas. 

THE battery left Camp DuPont on the morning of March 
loth, with the leading column in the advance upon Man- 
asses. The route to Fairfax was a faithful picture of van- 
dalism. For a distance of six or seven miles not a whole house 
was to be seen. Where the buildings had not been burned down, 
the cavalry pickets had torn off the weatherboards for firewood, 
and used the structures as horse stables. The column crossed one 
railroad, or at least what had been one, nothing being left of it 
save the embankment. The culverts had been torn down, the 
rails, carried away, and the ties piled in heaps and burned. At 
the crossing were the remains of a large steam mill. Three 
enormous boilers had been rolled out from their positions and 
the machinery was lying around in every direction. On the out- 
skirts of Fairfax were a few rifle-pits. The town was a small one, 
comprising about twelve houses. Before the war it no doubt had 
been a very pleasant little place of residence. The buildings were 
mostly frame. Some were of plain brick, and compared very 
favorably with Northern houses, others had been cemented over 
and presented a very neat appearance. It contained a court house 
and jail and three churches which were entirely despoiled of any 
pretensions to pulpit or pews. The fences around the public 
buildings were all gone, and in many instances, around the private 
residences. But three or four houses were tenanted by their 
original owners, and there were few families yet remaining in the 
place. When the battery passed through, the houses were all occu- 
pied l)y Union troops, who had arrived the day before. The 
battery encamped for the night on the same ground where 
McDowell had placed his army before the opening of the Bull 
Run battle. Rain fell during the greater part of the day, but at about 
4 o'clock in the afternoon, as the battery parked in a field on the 
edge of a wood, the rain and clouds disappeared and the sun 
shone brightly. The men were hungry and ate their hard tack 
and drank their patent coffee with satisfaction. This patent coffee 
professed to be coffee with sugar and milk combined. It was 



Advance Upon Manassas. 31 

furnished in gallon cans, each can to make one thousand rations of 
coffee. A very thick pine woods on the opposite side of the for- 
est from the park was chosen to picket the horses in. The men 
took the tarpauHns from off the guns and made tents to sleep under, 
the tents having been left standing in Camp DuPont. 

The command was moving the next morning by 7 o'clock, 
but made a short march of it. The battery encamped on the 
same spot where the Alabama regiments were encamped the pre- 
vious fall, judging from the relics bearing marks of the Fifteenth 
Alabama Regiment found scattered about, and very near the scene 
of the battle of Chantilly which occurred nearly six months later. 
From the specimens of the letters found it was judged that those 
composing these regiments were of the '-poor white" class of the 
South. The northwest portion of the ground was bounded by a 
semi-circular woods in which were encamped five regiments of 
New ^'ork troops. The battery's next neighbor was the Fourteenth 
Brooklyn Regiment which lost so many men at Bull Run. Between 
the battery and Centreville General Wadsworth's brigade was 
encamped. Next beyond them all the cavalry was posted. The 
battery remained in camp all day with the horses harnessed and 
saddled ready to move at any moment. Towards noon word came 
that the enemy had evacuated Manassas. This was a disappoint- 
ment. The advance was at an end. General Wadsworth imme- 
diately named the place Camp Disappointment. On the 12th 
most of the cavalry and some infantry passed the camp on the 
reiurn march to Washington, among them the Eighth Pennsylva- 
nia Cavalry. Nothing of any moment transpired during the week 
after this until the 15th, when the battery took the line of march 
to Alexandria, to join the expedition then forming for Yorktown. 
It begain to rain soon after starting, and fell in torrents during the 
remainder of the day. The cannoneers marched through streams 
over boot top deep. When within eight miles of Alexandria, a 
creek was reached which the battery was unable to cross. The 
captain countermarched and went to Camp DuPont, where the 
tents were still standing. These were reached near midnight and 
the men turned in cold and wet On the i6th the command 
marched 10 Alexandria, expecting to embark, but it was sent back, 
as the steamers could not take them, nothing being ready. About 
this time McClellan's army was divided into four corps : General 
McDowell commanding the First corps, consisting of the divisions 
of Porter, Smith, Frankhn and King, Durell's Battery being 
assigned to the latter division. 



32 Durell's Battery. 

The battery remained in Camp DuPont during the 17th and 
a portion of the following day. The guns, caissons and harness had 
been washed in the morning, so that the command presented a 
respectable appearance after the mud splashing it received in the 
rain on the i6th. Orders came to march at 3 o'clock in the after- 
noon. The battery moved across the old drill ground to the turn- 
pike. Just below Bailey's Cross Roads it was halted for nearly 
two hours. It then moved on. and at dark halted about three 
miles west of Alexandria, and encamped on a large flat piece of 
ground, which had been used during the winter for artillery drills. 
It was upon the Confederate General Lee's farm. On the oppo- 
site side of the turnpike from the camp stood his residence, with a 
large grove of trees around it. It had been a beautiful place ; but 
the fences and many trees had been taken for fuel. The house 
was used as the headquarters of the colonel of a New York regiment 
which had been garrisoning the forts during the winter. Fairfax 
Seminary was located about a quarter of a mile south of the 
camp. It was on a very pretty site, commanding a full view of the 
river and of Washington and Alexandria. The buildings were nine 
or ten in number, of fine red pressed brick, and presented a very 
beautiful appearance. It was the ' ' crack ' ' institution of the South. 
At the time the rebellion broke out, its catalogue showed over two 
hundred and fifty young lady pupils. Just west of General Lee's 
residence was Fort Warren, built on his property. In it were 
mounted thirty guns, of the calibre of 10 and 20-pounder rifled 
field guns, and twenty 32 and 42-pounder heavy guns. This fort 
was built to drive the Confederates from Munson's Hill, but they 
evacuated before the guns were mounted. A short distance from 
the camp, toward Washington, was Fort Blenker, also well 
mounted. In the direction of Alexandria were Forts Ellsworth 
and Ward. At the lower end of the drill ground were encamped 
the 95th Pennsylvania, Col. Gosline's Philadelphia Zouaves. 

The men of the battery were presented with a lot of oil-cloth 
ponchos, which were to be worn by the drivers on a rainy day 
when marching, and at night made into tents. Three of them 
formed a tent large enough for three men to slee]^ in very comfort- 
ably, provided it did not rain too hard ; when it did, they leaked 
more or less. The cannoneers made tents of the tarpaulins. It 
rained during the remainder of the week, and the weather was 
cold and chilly. The camp ground was muddy and slippery, the 
most unpleasant so far experienced. Finally the weather cleared 




LIEUTENANT GEORGE W. SILVIS 



34 Durell's Battery. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Capture of Fredericksburg. 

ON April 4th the battery moved with McDowell's Corps 
towards Fredericksburg, marching up the turnpike to 
Bailey's Cross Roads, in sight of the winter quarters. 
Here a halt of nearly an hour was made. The old camp looked 
desolate. But one tent was standing and most of the brush stables 
had been torn down. When the battery moved from the camp, 
orders were issued to leave the tents. The infantry came along 
afterward and took them. While the column was at a halt, a num- 
ber of carriages containing ladies came from Washington to see a 
review of troops, which had been ordered to take place that after- 
noon as a bhnd to veil the purpose of the movement of the corps. 
The column moved out the Fairfax road, along the route of its 
former march, and encamped for the night about a mile beyond 
Avondale. About this time the battery was assigned to a brigade 
composed of the Second, Sixth and Seventh Wisconsin and the 
Nineteenth Indiana Regiments, afterward known as General Gib- 
bon's Iron Brigade. The next day it marched through Fairfax and 
passed through Centreville. On examining the forts and the 
wooden guns left by the Confederates at Centreville, the smoke 
stack of a locomotive was discovered peeping out from the embra- 
sures. Here the march was taken to the left over a wretched cor- 
duroy road towards Manassas. The command encamped near the 
ground where the skirmish took place before the Bull Run battle. 
On Sunday the 6th the march was continued on the cordu- 
roy road, passing through Manassas, which looked the picture of 
desolation, fording Broad Creek at Millford and encampng near 
Bristoe. Here the corps remained for about a week on account of 
a continued rain and snow which made the roads impassable. 
^\'hile here the batterymen took their first lesson in foraging. 
They roamed the country about and brought pigs, sheep, forage, 
etc. , into camp. Very near to the camp was an old house used as 
a brigade hospital, in which was a case of small pox ; but, not- 
withstanding the presence of this dread disease, the men went 
into the building to get warm. Fortunately, however, none of 



Capture of Fredericksburg. 35 

them contracted the contagion. From the marks and remains of 
the tents lying around and the boards at the graves of two yards 
near by, it was inferred that the spot was Camp Jones, where a 
Mississippi brigade, consisting of the Second, Seventh and Nine 
teenth Regiments had been encamped. In the two small inclos- 
ures were counted one hundred and twenty-eight graves, and all 
had died within a few days of each other, the majority from the 
25th to the 28th of August. This led to the conclusion that they 
had died of wounds received at the battle of Bull Run, though 
the citizens in the locality said that a fever had raged among 
the troops. 

On April i6th the battery moved to Catlett's Station about six 
miles from Bristoe, where it was halted for a day to await the com- 
pletion of railroad communication. The day after it moved toward 
Fredericksburg. On the way the battery was detached from the 
column by taking the wrong route, and marched some six miles 
out of their course over muddy and diificult roads, the guns and 
baggage wagons sticking fast in the mud several times. Finally 
the right road was found and the proper place in the column 
resumed. In the meantime a heavy thunder sto m came on. Hie 
rain fell in torrents, making the roads muddy and drenching the 
troops to the skin. In this condition the battery parked in a 
field by the wayside at about 11 o'clock at night in absolute dark- 
ness. The men bivouacked as best they could. Cornfodder 
stacked in the adjoining field furnished feed for the horses and 
bedding for the troops. Rolling themselves in their blankets the 
men went to sleep supperless, as it was impossible to find fuel and 
water for cooking coffee in the impenetrable gloom of the night. 

The next morning was bright and clear, and the warm sun- 
shine soon dried the men's clothes on their backs, the process 
causing steam to rise from each person, as though just coming 
from a warm bath. The Confederate who owned the cornfodder, 
came over to the camp and demanded $18 per stack for it. He 
received the quartermaster's note for the amount, allowing him 
pay at the close of the war. The march was resumed early in the 
morning and a very fair agricultural country traversed. Very few 
white people remained at the houses, but the colored people were 
everywhere along the road out in full force to greet the soldiers, 
with their broad smiles and comical remarks and gestures. 

When within a couple of miles from Fredericksburg, the scene 
ofan engagement that took place the day before was reached. In the 



36 Durell's Battery. 

fight, cavalry, consisting of a detachment of the First Pennsylvania, 
under command of Colonel G. D Bayard, together with a portion 
of the Harris (New York) Light Cavalry, was led by a native into 
an ambuscade, and fired upon by the Confederate cavalry from two 
sides. The Confederates were, however, driven off with a loss to 
the Union cavalry of forty in killed and wounded. Lieutenant- 
Colonel Judson Kilpatrick, of the Harris Cavalry, who afterward 
became famous as a cavalry leader, had his horse shot from under 
him. The guide was unceremoniously shot upon the spot. The 
Confederates were hotly pursued to Fredericksburg, where the 
bridge was already in flames. This compelled them to ford and 
swim the river to make their escape. The artillery in advance got 
up to the river in time to give them a few parting shots, some of 
which took effect. The Confederate loss was not known as they 
were enabled to carry off their dead and wounded. The bridges 
had been made ready for firing some days previous by pouring 
barrels of tar over them, and placing powder in the piers. Both 
the wagon and railroad bridges were destroyed at the same time. 
After the battery came up a large fire was seen in the city, which 
proved to be a factory used for the manufacture of clothing. 
Trains of wagons were also seen moving away from the city toward 
Richmond, conveying government stores. This was an aggravating 
spectacle as viewed from the other side. 

The battery went into camp upon a high hill in rear of the 
Lacey House, nearly a mile from Fredericksburg, on April i8th. 
Lacey, the owner, was a major in the Confederate army. His 
dwelling was a very commodious one, built of brick and surrounded 
by magnificent grounds. The beautiful front lawn contained fine 
shade trees. Here the guns were unlimbered and put into position 
to open on the town or command the hills beyond. It was re- 
ported in camp that two Confederate gunboats came up the river 
to the city early in the morning, but had shortly after steamed away 
again. 

There was a cold rain storm on the 20th and 21st, during 
which time nothing was done, and the men kept close to the r 
(juarters and camp fires, for such warmth and comfort as could be 
obtained. On the 22nd, General McDowell passed through camp 
with a squad of cavalry and a limber from one of the guns, and 
went below in search of a fording place, a foolish ])roceeding in 
the estimation of the men, as the river was running full from bank 
to bank. The camp fires of the enemy were distinctly seen across 



Capture of Fredericksburg. 37 

the river. At this time the sick of the battery were treated by the 
23rd New York's surgeons. About the 23rd of April, squads 
of Union troops passed over to the city every day. They were 
kindly treated by the citizens, who were eager to get North- 
ern gold and silver, but refused to touch "Lincoln's" pajjer 
money, even refusing the U. S. Treasury notes, preferring their 
twenty-five cent paper. 

On the 25th steamers, loaded with provisions, came up the 
river. They had thirty canal boats in tow, on which it was intended 
to build false works to lay the railroad track at the bridge. A pon- 
toon train also came up with them. On the 26th the cavalry cap- 
tured seven Confederate cavalrymen, among them a colonel. ( )ne 
of them was recognized as a person who had been through 
McDowell's camps dressed in citizen's attire. 

Stores and supplies were hauled by the wagons from Belle Plain. 
On the 5 th of May the battery was moved down to the bank of the 
river, near General McDowell's headquarters at the Lacey House, 
to guard the pontoon bridge that had just been thrown across 
the river. The camp ground was a very fine one —in one of Major 
Lacey' s large clover fields. A cavalry regiment was encamped on 
the hills back of Fredericksburg, and two companies of infantry 
patroled the city. 

One newspaper, the Christian Ba?tner, printed by James W. 
Hunnicutt, on common brown wrapping paper, survived the capture 
of Fredericksburg. It stated that the Confederate army left the 
town on the i8th of April, and that in a hurry, leaving the people 
to endure any fate that might befall them, A number of vessels 
lying in the river — all private property — were burned by the soldiers 
before leaving. 

On May 9th, the Banner contained the following editorial : 

"Why is it that men will suffer passion and prejudice to dethrone reason? 
Let us consider for a moment our present deplorable condition. Our generals 
and army have left us to the mercy of chance ; Congress has broken up in a 
state of terrified confusion and have gone to seek their safety far from the seat 
of war, on their cotton, sugar and rice plantations ; the citizens of Richmond 
have become panic stricken and are leaving ; the authorities are making pre- 
parations to burn the tobacco and public stores of the army, that cannot and 
have not been sent away. These are facts, we presume, that are questioned 
by no one. 

"Why is it, that at this important crisis, when the lives of our dear sons 
and so many of our fellow-citizens are trembling on the very brink of eternity, 
that the very men, the leaders in this woeful tragedy, fly from the advancing 
enemy? Wliy do they not stand and face the danger? Because, conscience 



38 Durell's Battery. 

has made cowards of them. They feel the guilt, they dread the penalty, and 
fly to save their own worthless carcasses from being captured ; and yet our dear 
children, neighbors and friends must stay and fight, and die to protect the per- 
sons and property of the guilty leaders, who have fired up the Southern heart, 
and inveigled them into ruin. Are parents willing to see their own dear chil- 
dren butchered and slaughtered like wild beasts, to gratify the unhallowed 
ambition of cowards, tyrants and traitors? Can freemen submit to such an 
outrage? No. 'I'hen, let us demand our children — let us call them home, 
and let Jeft. Davis and his click go to the devil, where they ought to have been 
long ago." 

The Ban/ier was a hundred times stronger for the Union than 
most of the Breckinridge jnipers of the North. It had experienced 
some fruits of secession, and denounced its leaders as " traitors, 
madmen and fools, who ought to be damned !" 

Upon the subject of the removal of the Confederate capital 
from Richmond, the Richmond Whig, of April 22, was equally 
caustic : 

" For fear of accidents on the railroad the stampeded Congress left yester- 
day in a number of the strongest and newest canal boats. These boats are 
drawn by mules of approved sweetness of temper. To protect the stampeders 
from the snakes and bullfrogs that abound along the line of the canal. General 
Winder has detailed a regiment of ladies to march in advance of the mules and 
clear the tovvpath of the pirates. The regiment is armed with popguns of the 
longest range. The ladies will accompany the stampeders to a secluded cave 
in the mountains of llepsidam, and leave them there in charge of the children 
of the vicinage, until McClellan thinks proper to let them come forth. The 
ladies will return to the defense of their country." 

The battery remained encamped at Fredericksburg for some 
weeks, having nothing to do but drill and write letters. Some of 
them found place in the local papers at home. Among them was 
a characteristic one from Sergeant Williani P. Andrews to his sister, 
which was published in the Bucks County Intelligencer, and con- 
tained the following : 

"There goes our little banty-legged doctor. He is a woeful rider; he 
bounces up and down like an Indian rubber ball on the saddle. He would 
have hi-^ feet clear tliroujjjh the stirrups, if his enormous spurs did not keep 
lliein to their place. lalaj) and rlui!)arb have been his favorite doses. He has 
now improved on them by the addition of large c[uantities of castor oil. He is 
a regular working doctor of the old style. I have had a cold in my head for 
the last three or four days, I guess, b) Inning llu- windows of the wagon oj^en. 
He prescribed a dose of his favorite truck. 1 preferred carrying it in mv pocket. 
I think I have improved by this mode of taking it. The only inconvenience I 
experience is that my nose is skinless. Whether the medicine or incessant 
wiping my nose produced it, I have not had time to inquire. 

" I wish you could see my country residence, that I occujjy during the 
day. The roof is made of the night-gowns worn by our own horses during the 



Capture of Fredericksburg. 39 

winter. They are not altogether white, but remarkably fragrant ; especially on 
a damp, warm day, the 'dissent,' as your neighbor phrases it, is stunning. 
The walls are composed of old oat bags nailed to a wooden frame. Being of 
a sieve-like texture, they answer the purpose of letting in all the heat, sun and 
wind that comes along. The front prop runs far above the ridge of the roof, 
and is decorated with a newspaper flag. The whole concern is so neat, that a 
peddler stuck his head in the other day and asked if it was a hospital tent. I 
suppose the hartshorne caused the mistake. Everything shows that we live luxu- 
riantly. My table is decorated with a paper of sugar, an old broken inkstand, 
pens, pipes, matches, and last, though by no means least, a piece of old corn 
cake, baked in John Rice's improved style, with eggs and a little sugar in, just 
enough to taste. Only think, corn cake and fried beans for dinner ! We draw 
fresh beef three times a week, but experience great trouble in keeping the 
animal dead. It will generally get alive in spite of us. We had some of that 
same kind this morning for breakfast. The animile only died yesterday, and 
this morning, after a number of hours' boiling, he was almost able to run. The 
best stand-liy is old 'hog and hominy.' I believe you are fond of mush. I 
give you a cordial invitation to come down and take supper with us ; we will 
have a little mush and molasses. 

"The hills on the side of the river are now alive with men. They look 
like so many ants running out of their tents. At night the camp fires are 
beautiful. The hills appear to be covered with balls of fire, ranged in 
regular order of the company streets. The brigades on the summits of the hills 
have every appearance of a large city with street lamps all lighted and burning 
brightly. It is really a very beautiful and grand sight, and presents quite a 
contrast to the town, where we can scarcely see a light except in the little 
shelter tents of the guards along the river. Vou would think, if you resided 
on this side of the Rappahannock, that nobody dwelt in the town, and that it 
really was a city of the dead. The only sounds we hear from them is the beat 
of the guard-house drum, and the interminable howling of the dogs. 

"Were you ever pestered with ticks ? I hope you will never have to make 
their acquaintance. I have never yet concluded which I prefer, them or fleas. 
The fleas manage to get away from you, whilst the ticks generally leave a head 
in your hide, which produces rather sore boils. This is the darkest country in 
existence when it rains. To-night is intensely dark ; the guards will experi- 
ence great trouble in catching the loose horses, for the brutes generally choose 
that sort of a night for their ramblings. The bugs are very troublesome, get- 
ting into my eyes and running all over my paper. 

"The quartermaster and I are having a little 'sore-eye' in our horse- 
scented house. The refreshments consist of lemonade and hard crackers. 
The lemonade is very refreshing ; the hard-tack not so palatable. 1 should 
greatly prefer a little sponge cake or some of Hetty's ginger snaps. 

" As an instance of the bitterness of feeling against the Northern troops in 
this locality, I will mention the case of a widow lady in the town. She owns a 
great number of houses and depends on her rent for support. She says that, 
although the loss would be severe on her, she would rather have seen every 
house, and man, woman and child in the town burnt to ashes, than to see a 
Yankee soldier quartered in the place. She is what I call a tough old sinner, 
and needs a little 'tending to. Though I reckon if a Yankee would ask her to 
join the Union with him, she might accede ; but no doubt she would scotch up 
her heels a little before the peace could be ratified." 



40 Durell's Battery. 

The middle of May came in very warm, as though summer 
had made its appearance with a bound. The soldiers found their 
canvass tents oppressive, and the river was soon a cornmon resort 
for bathing in the evenings. Some of the boys swam across to 
Fredericksburg A force of men was put to work at rebuilding the 
burned railroad bridge, and on the 19th of May a locomotive 
passed over it and returned from the city with a train of cars that 
had been in use by the Confederates but a short time previous. 
In the evening the bridge was illuminated, and a train of cars' 
passed over it with a brass band on board. After the completion 
of the railroad bridge the pontoon bridge that had been spanning 
the river immediately in front of the battery, was removed to Fal- 
mouth, and thrown across the stream from that point. General 
Shields' Division left suddenly for the Shenandoah Valley. General 
Augur's Brigade of King's Division crossed the river and marched 
to a point seven miles below Fredericksburg. The First Brigade 
of McCall's Pennsylvania Reserves also marched through the city 
and down the river, and Durell's Battery crossed over the river and 
parked its guns upon an open lot in the city. This was a treat for 
the boys, many of whom took every opportunity to saunter through 
the streets. 

On May 23rd, the President and the Secretary of War, accom- 
panied by other dignitaries, arrived from Washington to review the 
troops of McDowell's command. The railroad accommodations 
were not very good from Aquia Creek, and it was said that " Uncle 
Abraham " rode in an old freight car. The President was a queer 
figure on horseback, his long legs reaching well toward the ground. 
He rode with hat in hand in front of the troops in a boiling sun, 
and was greeted with cheer after cheer from the soldiers. 

About this time, Lieutenant Ciries, who had not been in good 
health for about two months, thought seriously of leaving the bat- 
tery for home. Christopher Leoser, of Reading, Pa., who had 
been in the three month's service as a cai)tain in the New York 
Fire Zouaves, paid a visit to its officers, with whom he was well 
acquainted. One evening after his arrival, the captain called the 
men together and stated that, as the battery was short one com- 
missioned officer, he would like to have the vacancy filled by 
Christopher Leoser, and put the question to vote. Leoser was 
chosen by a majority of three or four votes, nearly all of the Berks 
County men voting for him, while the Bucks Countians, as well as 
a number from the other counties represented in the battery, voted 




ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



CArruRF. ov FREi>KKicRsi;rRi;. 41 

against Iiim. The men composing the Bucks County portion of tlie 
battery were dissatisfied that they were not given representation 
on the staff of commissioned officers by the election or ap])oint- 
ment of one of their number, and that a new man had been 
brought to the ])attery and given the commission. The matter 
caused ill feeling that did not disappear for many months after- 
ward. Lieutenant Leoser, however, proved to be a caj^able and 
fearless officer, finally winning the respect and admiration of almost 
the entire command. 

At this time, also, there was a marked improvement in the 
medical service rendered to the sick of the battery, which had 
heretofore been very inefficient. A surgeon from one of the regi- 
ments of the brigade or division to which the battery was attached 
would occasionally pay a professional visit to the sick, but much 
more frequently the sick were obliged to seek the surgeon for con- 
sultation. They were now turned over to the care of Dr. Peters, 
of the 2ist New.\'ork, who paid the battery professional visits 
twice a day. 

The weather was now becoming warmer, and active service 
was anticipated by the officers. Captain Durell issued an order 
commanding the men to dispose of all superfluous clothing and 
blankets, and retain none wiiich the Government had not pre- 
scribed for them. In conformity with this order the men packed 
their extra blankets, clothing and such other needless articles which 
would be cumbersome on the march of an active campaign, into 
boxes and sent them to their homes by express. A reduction was 
also made in the number of tents and other camp equipage, and two 
baggage wagons were added to the number in the service of the 
battery for the transportation of an extra supply of forage for the 
horses. At every hand there were indications of an important 
movement about to be made from this point. 



4>B Dukkll's Haiterv. 

CHAPTER V. 

Pursuing "Stonewall" Jackson. 

JUST as McDowell's command was about to move forward to 
join McClellan's forces on the Peninsula. ''Stonewall" 

Jackson was found to be rapidly moving up the Shenandoah 
Valley, driving before him the small bodies of Union troops scat- 
tered here and there, and causing much anxiety at Washington. 
McDowell was therefore ordered to postpone the proposed move- 
ment to the Peninsula, and march a portion of his force rapidly to 
the Shenandoah \'alley to intercept Jackson before he could return 
to the ])rotection of the Confederate army. 

In compliance with this order tlie battery left Fredericksburg 
with its division on May 29th, marching rapidly toward Thorough- 
fare Gap. The first night's encampment was made in a wheat 
field, ^\llen the troops moved out of it the next morning, the 
wheat looked as though a hurricane had passed through it. The 
whole of Augur's Brigade had encamped on it, wagons and all. 
Nothing of any moment transpired along the route until about 10 
o'clock, when a heavy rain began to fall, and continued during the 
day. The day's march was ended by encamping within four miles 
of Catlett. The next day the battery marched to the station, 
where the infantry took the cars for Manassas, from whence they 
were to be transported by rail to White Plains, the artillery march- 
ing across the country for the same point The artillery and bag- 
gage-wagon trains accompanied by the Harris Light Cavalry, 
Colonel Judson Kilpatrick, commanding, did not move until the 
morning of June ist. The march was over bad roads and through 
a deserted country for some distance until the woods were reached, 
where the roads were better. The corduroy road from Centre- 
ville to Manassas which the battery marched over in April, was in 
good condition in comparison witli this. Few houses were to be 
seen and nearly all of those were deserted. About four miles from 
Catlett, a dwelling set back from the road, was discovered. The 
fields surrounding it were j)lowed and the corn just sprouting al)Ove 
the ground. The stables were almost a wreck and the tools scat- 
tered in every direction around the grounds. The garden was in 



Pursuing "Stonewall" Jackson. 43 

fine condition. A general rush was made for the premises by the 
cannoneers in search for water. The men soon despoiled the gar- 
den of all the onions and ripe strawberries it could boast of The 
house was entirely deserted. From appearances the occupants had 
fled in great haste. All that was left in the house was an old bed- 
stead, a piece of carpet and a bag of meal. It was a picture of deso- 
lation, and the whole place bore unmistakable evidence of the ravages 
of war. The battery was halted here for a long time, watering the 
horses, after which it moved on. About noon a halt of over an 
hour was made, waiting for the baggage train to come up. Some 
of the boys wandered into a house inhabited by a lot of crippled 
and old women, who were anxious to sell their cakes, and the men 
were just as eager to buy. One woman said she had never seen 
the cars, although she lived within three miles of the railroad. On 
the route was the splendid property of an Enghshman named 
Green. His buildings and grounds were magnificent, and he had 
built a very pretty Episcopal chapel on his estate. All over the 
premises were posters marked " British Property under Safeguard. " 
He was a cotton broker of Savannah, and this was his summer and 
country residence. His sympathies were strongly with the South , his 
wife being a Southron, and when young, it was said, a very handsome 
woman. While encamped at Bristoe, only five miles distant, a 
party of foragers from the battery visited this plantation seeking for 
corn. The second time they called they were entertained quite 
handsomely. Along this whole property the road was turnpiked 
— after a fashion. Enormous stones, rocks they might be called, 
were set in the road end up There was very Httle earth over 
them and ipiite a number of holes here and there. It was the 
most trying piece of road on the carriage stock that the battery had 
experienced up to that time. 

On the morning of June 2d, the march was resumed to 
Thoroughfare Gap. Here the railroad runs through the Bull Run 
Mountain, which could be plainly seen from the starting point at 
Haymarket, four miles distant, resembhng the big hills in Rock- 
hill Township, Bucks County, Pa. Here trouble was anticipated 
from the guerillas, as the hills abounded in good perches from which 
they could operate. If there were any in the vicinity they did not 
make their presence known. Passing through the Gap, the bat- 
tery parked on the western side of the mountain with orders to 
unhitch the horses, but to keep the harness on them. It was the 
same ground upon which the 104th New York had been encamped. 



44 Durell's Battery. 

On Jackson's approach with a superior force, they had been com- 
pelled to beat a hasty retreat, firing much of their camp equipage 
rather than abandon it to the enemy. In a house located near 
this camp lived an old Bucks Countian by the name of Stover, who 
came from the vicinity of Point Pleasant. 

In the afternoon the infantry of the division returned from 
Front Royal. Jackson had succeeded in making his raid down 
the valley, returning again to a point within communication with 
the main portion of the Confederate army, thus avoiding the trap 
set for him. The battery was ordered to countermarch, and that 
night it encamped at Haymarket, a small village of half a dozen 
houses and huts, and a large brick church. The men were very 
hungry and highly enjoyed their supper of coffee, corn-beef and 
" hard-tack." 

The battery remained at Haymarket several days, during the 
continuance of a heavy rain storm. 'Tis an ill wind that blows no 
good. The good in this instance was reaped by the woman 
who lived in a house close to the camp, where the men bought 
cakes. She and two negresses were kept busy baking cakes from 
morning until night. She would bake up all the flour she had and 
send for more. She furnished ham and eggs at a very mo lerate 
price. One fat old negress said that she had worked over the 
dough-trough so hard that " the sweat had rolled off her." 

The morning of June 6th was clear when the march was again 
taken up to Gainesville, and from that point on the Warrenton pike, 
a very smooth road, through New Market and New Baltimore, to 
within a mile of Warrenton, where the battery encamped in a beau- 
tiful field, on the farm of an old Confederate, who had left it and 
gone farther south. It was pretty well stocked with sheep, hogs, 
cattle, etc., upon which the soldiers foraged to such an extent that 
but few remained when the troops left that vicinity. Sunday morn- 
ing brought with it the usual battery inspection, after which the men, 
who were fortunate enough to obtain passes, went out to Warren- 
ton to attend religious services in the only church of the town, and 
to visit the points of interest The march was again resumed on 
the 8th, passing through Warrenton, which was a very fair town 
for that section of Virginia. A number of its women appeared at 
the front doors and windows to see the troops as they passed, but 
they wore sour and defiant countenances. 

For some distance the line of march was made along the rail- 
road. The cars had not run into Warrenton for many months, 



Pursuing "Stonewall" Jackson. 45 

and every bridge had been destroyed. After leaving the railroad 
the route led through swampy woods, which was hard work for the 
horses. Occasionally a gun-carriage or caisson would stick in the 
mud up to the axles, from which six horses would be unable to pull 
it out. The cannoneers would be obliged to step into mud, in some 
cases, knee deep, and literally put " their shoulders to the wheels," 
to help the poor animals out of the mire with their load. This 
was as difficult a piece of road as any the battery had hitherto 
marched. It camped until the next day at Warrenton Junction, but 
the supply wagons not coming up until late in the night, the boys 
were obliged to sup without their favorite tin cup of coffee. 
Early the next morning, a march of about five miles was made to 
Elk Run, where the battery rested, awaiting orders. General 
Gibbon's Brigade, with Regular Battery B, passed on to Fredericks- 
burg. This was a pretty good country for cherries which were then 
ripCf so the boys had a good treat, gathering and eating them. On 
the evening of the nth of June the first rations of whiskey and 
quinine were issued to the battery, which were eagerly received by 
those who had formed the liquor habit, but refused by a number of 
others who either never tasted or very seldom partook of spiritu- 
ous liquors. On this day, also, was issued the first rations of soft 
bread since leaving Alexandria on the 4th of April. It was a 
toothsome treat after so long a diet of "hard-tack." One loaf 
per day was the ration for each man, but some of the boys finished 
up a loaf at a single meal. 

On the i6th another move was made, this time to a point 
about two and a half miles distant, where the battery parked in a 
pine woods. After considerable labor in clearing away the burned 
brush, a comfortable and pleasant camp was made among the 
shady pines for man and beast. Augur's and Gibbon's Brigades, 
with the Regular and New Hampshire Batteries, had moved for- 
ward toward Fredericksburg, while the Rhode Island and Durell's 
Batteries were left here with Patrick's Brigade. On the 21st the 
brigade left and marched to a point ten miles nearer Fredericks- 
burg, where the battery joined it the next day. On the 24th the 
march was again taken up, and continued to Fredericksburg, the 
camp being established near a former camp-ground at the Lacey 
House, directly opposite the city. Here the battery received 
thirteen new horses and five marquees, or wall tents. The men 
were put to work at cleaning the harness, washing the gun carriages, 
and bringing cedar boughs from the woods, of which arbors were 



46 Durell's Battery. 

built over the tents to provide shady quarters. Each gun detach- 
ment also received a large tarpauHn, which, with the small tents 
already on hand, furnished commodious quarters. 

On the 27th a squad of eighteen men was received from 
General C. C. Augur's Brigade and attached to the battery to fill 
its ranks to the required number. They were as follows : Samuel 
O. Allen, Jacob J. Amidon, Wilham Beck, Israel O. Beagle, Or- 
natus D. Bump, William H. Brown, James H. Burnett, Benjamin 
F. Edwards, Alfred B. Hicks, Henry B. Ives, Samuel C. Knox, 
Henry C. Leigh, Charles N. Mance, John Chesney and Nathan 
Thomas, of the 23rd New York ; and John B. Jones and Charles 
W. McCreary, of the 20th New York ; and James Buchanan of the 
35th New York Regiment. The artillery uniform was issued to the 
new men, and blouses and shoes to all. 

Lieutenant Campbell of Battery B, 4th Regulars, having been 
made chief of artillery of the division, in place of Captain John 
Czibbon, who was promoted to a brigadier general of volunteers 
and placed in command of the Iron Brigade, paid especial atten- 
tion to the training of Durell's Battery, taking it in hand daily for 
some time when out on field drill, and put it through a lively move- 
ment of all the evolutions contained in the artillery tactics. The 
hard and continuous drilling received at this time, stood the bat- 
tery in good stead in the battles which followed a month or two 
later. 




Camp Life at Fredericksburg. 47 

CHAPTER VI. 
Camp Life at Fredericksburg. 

THE battery remained at Fredericksburg througVout the 
month of July, nothing of any importance transpiring to 
break the weary monotony of camp-life, except the field 
drills and an occasional night scout into the country below the city. 
Orderly Sergeant William P. Andrews, at this time made a daily 
record of events, some of which were published in the Bucks 
County Intelligencei: The following is taken from his journal : 

July 4th. — "All exercises of the day were laid aside except the regular 
guard and police duties of the camp, and the men permitted to enjoy themselves 
as best they could, but to keep within the bounds of soldierly decorum. Num- 
bers of the men went over to the town, others to Falmouth, and a few visited their 
comrades in the neighboring regiments. General Patrick's Brigade had a reg- 
ular Fourth of July celebration. 'Aunt Betsy' (Captain Monroe), went up to 
the bluffs to make a noise for them. Generals King and Patrick feasted the 
imaginations of the men with spread-eagle addresses. King was vociferously 
cheered ; General Patrick not quite so much. The Olympic games were resus- 
citated by the introduction of the popular games of climbing the greased pole, 
chasing the greased pig, and the symmetrical proportions of the sack race. 

" At meridian, General Doubleday's Battery, which was quartered on the 
hill where we first encamped on our previous occupation of the place, fired eighty- 
six guns. After dinner. General Gibbon's men prepared for a grand mule, 
horse, and foot race. The performances began at 2 o'clock. The mule race 
was a most ludicrous affair. There were some twenty mules entered. The 
band w-ould play an air, when all must go. At the first start, before the 
riders had gone twenty paces, a dozen men were seen flying through the air, 
heels foremost. Over some of them the mules would run, and caper about as 
if tantalizing them. Others would bolt through the centre of the ring, making the 
horsemen and horsewomen (for there were some of the latter present) skedaddle. 
Others would keep the course until they reached a point where the road they 
were accustomed to travel passed through the fields ; all efforts of the riders 
could not restrain the brutes from bolting up the road, scattering the spectators 
like chaff. During the last heat, one fellow was thrown, and before he reached 
the ground the mule kicked him heels over head. Another fellow was making 
fine headway, when the mule sent him flying to the ground, headforemost, with 
such impetus that he spun around, coming upon one side and then on the other, 
with both hands full of dirt andgiass. The race was rich, and no one hurt. The 
horse-race was confined to the officers. Our adjutant and Lieutenant-Colonel 
Kilpatrick, of the Harris Light Cavalry, were the competitors for the purse. 
Our adjutant beat him. One of our teamsters took one of his mules down, Ijut 



48 Durell's Battery. 

nobody would run against him^he could outrun the whole pack, and they were 
all afraid of him. After the fixed fun was over, there was a general racing of 
horses — every one going in. This ended by the killing of two horses. 

"The regulars fired a salute of thirty-four guns at retreat. General Gib- 
bon's Brigade had their own sport in the morning, everything being done in an 
inversed order. At the morning dress parade, the officers, both commissioned 
and non-commissioned, taking their places in the ranks as privates, and the 
better drilled privates acting in their posts. The field and staff were also chosen 
from the ranks, the colonel taking a rifle and falling into the ranks. The 
affair was well managed and passed off with great eclat. The adjutant bawled 
out his 'attention to orders,' and read an order to the effect that the officers 
must police the camp. It was very amusing to see the colonels and other big 
shoulder straps picking up old bones and trash, and removing them to the gen- 
eral place of deposit, the privates bossing them around. 

"In the evening. General King arranged matters for our admiration and 
'the general manifestation of his glorification,' etc., by an exhibition of fire- 
works that equalled anything of the kind witnessed in the cities. The heavens 
were ablaze with rockets throughout the whole evening, their magnificence 
being embellished with the fiery balls of Roman candles, fire wheels, colored 
lights, etc. From the manner in which the burning sticks landed in the sacred 
town of modest females, they must have thought the Yankees had invited old 
Tophet down to see them, and he had accepted the invitation. General King 
addressed the motley assemblage, and General Gibbons made his maiden speech, 
commencing with 'You would scarce expect one of my age,' etc. 

" But the Fourth was the prelude to hard work the next day, when the 
battery had the longest and strongest field drill it had as yet received. Captain 
Durell ran the machine, and he did run it hard. The main incident of the 
morning was the capture of some guerillas a few miles below Fredericksburg. 
They were armed with shot guns, making a good resistance before the cavalry 
captured them. They lost two of their number during the struggle. In the 
afternoon, the paymaster called and gave the men four months' pay. 

July 13th. — "What an intolerable nuisance 'red tape' is, although it is a 
very important feature in the business of soldiering. The war offices are regu- 
lar 'circumlocution offices,' and their great aim seems to be 'how not to do it.' 
An instance of this was seen in the disposition of the dead body of one of our 
men who died on the 9th inst., at the hospital, and was interred before we had 
any intimation of his decease. On inquiry made at the office, no satisfaction 
could be obtained, as all matter in reference thereto had been sent to the sur- 
geon-general's office, and possibly the note to the captain had gone with it. 
To-day's mail brought the note intended for us from the said surgeon-general. 
Even to obtain a few blanks, the requisition must pass through half a dozen 
hands, and even then the issuing officers will stick on some little useless point. 
Our man was decently buried, but he is buried in a lonely place. His remains 
were deposited in a large fifty-acre field in the rear of the hospital — another 
interment had been made sometime before, and these two were the only graves 
in the field. Henry Hargrave made a head and foot-board, which was planted 
at the grave to-day. It is marked 'George Bluch, Co. A, Durell's Battery, 
I*. \'. l)ied July 9th, 1.S62, aged 22 years.' If possible his remains will be 
sent home for re-interment. 



Camp Life at Fredericksburg. 



49 



" There were orders for a review this morning, but they were counter- 
manded, and the matter ended by the usual company inspection. Having per- 
mission to go to Fredericksburg, I started for the river and crossed over in the 
boat. This boat was run by some infantry soldiers, especially for the accommo- 
dation of the men who were so unfortunate as to have no passes. The matter 
was known by the generals, but they managed to wink at it. I promenaded 
through town and finally brought up at the Presbyterian church, just as the 
parson had read his text. The congregation was rather a mixed affair, the blue 
breeches being in the ascendancy. There were about two hundred ladies, all 
nicely dressed and possessed of pretty faces, ornamented with noses that would 
turn up whenever a soldier would make a move ; about the same number ot 
soldiers, and only nine male citizens. The soldiers were very orderly during 
the whole service. The citizens were mostly elderly gentlemen and rather fine 
looking. The minister was a brother of Major Lacey, at oi^.c time a very vio- 
lent secessionist ; but after our arrival there, his views were considerably mod- 
ified. His sermon was very good ; no allusion was made to the existing diffi- 
culties ; the only approach to them was in his closing prayer, in which he asked 
that the world might all be one, and peace reign through the same. The sub- 
ject was the Divinity of Ckfist. The matter was good, and clearly showed the 
polished scholar. The manner was not appropriate ; his aim seeming to be to 
produce effect, and by too much mannerism the whole discourse was marred. 
Their singing was good, the organ being of a very fine tone, the only drawback 
being the want of male voices. I really felt, during the whole time, out of 
place. I think I behaved myself. The sermon did me but little good, as my 
thoughts were wandering around the church ; one minute I would be peeping 
at a pretty face under some bonnet ; at others counting the old men's heads, 
and wondering when the preacher would let some secesh slip out. Most all of 
the ladies were dressed in mourning, probably for some of their families lost in 
the war, for the regiment raised here was literally cut to pieces in the late 
battles. 

" After the services I strolled through the town. It was rather scattered 
and not very prepossessing, although there were some very fine residences. 
At the southern portion there were large yards, finely laid out and planted with 
shrubbery and flowers In my wanderings I came to our old camping ground. 
Great changes had taken place here ; the whole had been enclosed by a sub- 
stantial picket fence, plowed and planted in grass and oats. The old cabin 
had been whitewashed and boasted a front porch, made of an old rebel tent 
stretched on poles. Work was progressing on a wire bridge to span the Rap- 
pahannock River. 

July 14th. — "Great horse hunts on hand this morning. Our men are 
scouring the country in search of the lieutenant's little black nag, tiiat slipped 
his halter during the night. Two old rebels are also hunting the camps for a 
horse they report as having been stolen from them during the night. Their 
horse, if stolen, can be found at the picket ropes of the cavalry, they are the 
horse thieves of the division. Batteries are too honest to take horses, unless 
they leave one in exchange, always being careful to leave a very bad one for 
change. The company was marched over to headquarters in the evening, the 
result of the last court martial was read, one man was sentenced to fifteen days 
imprisonment in the guard-house and to attend to all his daily duties besides. 



5© Durell's Battery. 

Another was dishonorably discharged from the artillery command. The latter 
man was nothing more than a mere stripling of a boy, not over sixteen years old. 
In fact Captain Monroe's men were mostly boys ; both the prisoners belonged to 
him. 

July i6th. — "An unfortunate occurrence happened this afternoon at Fal- 
mouth. The horses attached to a government wagon being frightened, ran 
into the river, and becoming entangled in their harness, three of them were 
drowned before they could be extricated. A large train of wagons arrived to- 
day from Washington. They are for general distribution among the different 
commands now here. Our battery is entitled to one of them. Fredericksburg 
is now well watched against all incursions of the rebels. Our fighting force on 
the water is considerably increased by six more gunboats, the whole number at 
the bridge being eight. A great many men in the command are sick at pres- 
ent. The battery has the fewest — only one man on the list this morning. Two 
or three others have been ailing for a week or so, but are able to attend to 
their duties. The facilities and inducements afforded by the town for every 
species of vice and dissipation increase the sick list at a rapid rate. The reg- 
ulars have as many as forty on their lists, the most of them the victims of their 
own imprudence. The Rhode Islanders have sixteen men in the hospitals, 
while we have but three. This is a small casualty list for a company of 145 
men. Our men have improved very much in their drills since we last came 
here. The battery is on drill twice everyday; in the morning on the field, and in 
the evening, after retreat, in the park at the gun. Since leaving Alexandria we 
have had very little opportunity for field manoeuvres until the last three weeks. 
The morning drill is generally over by 8 o'clock. The New Hampshire men 
are generally on the field before breakfast. 

July 17th. — "Was an excessively hot day, and there was but little run- 
ning about among the men. We received our new wagon and ambulance. 
The wagon was good enough ; but what a wreck the old ' body-wagon ' was ! 
— top knocked in, spokes loose, and everything almost in the same condition 
ttiat the ' Deacon's one-horse shay' was when it went to pieces. By the joint 
operations of the blacksmith, wheelwright and saddler, a new one could be 
made of it. The fiery Rosinante which accompanied it, and acted as the mo- 
live power, was a perfect curiosity. In days long gone by he might have been 
a beautiful gray ; the want of sufficient straw and the entire absence of elbow- 
grease and curry-comb had entirely obliterated that color, and he stood before 
you a magnificent specimen of a dirty horse. We had a little after-supjier 
sport this evening. The New Hampshire men got up a foot race between 
their liltlc darkies, and then wound uji with a standing-on-the-head perform- 
ance. Tile c'ompiiny was marched over to headquarters this evening to hear 
tlie results of tlie courts-martial. The poor fellow, with 'Thief on his back, 
was marched before the battalion. The object was to bring the boy into dis- 
respect, iiut it failed of its purpose, as a majority of the men believed him 
innocent. Our doctor is very attentive to the sick and presents a strong con- 
trast to the drunken ones we have heretofoie had. He came around twice 
during the day to look after his patients. There was quite a commotion among 
our teamsters to-day, an order being given to the effect that no soldier should 
be put on the teams. They were very indignant, and swore that it would be a 
sorry day for the darkies that they ever took charge of the teams. They 



Camp Life at FREDERiCKSRURf;. 51 

claimed that it was not right that run-away negroes should draw their $2$ per 
month, while the white soldier, who performed twice the labor, and run the 
greater risk, only received #13. 

July i8th — " Had quite an interesting conversation with our doctor this 
morning. He is new to us, and comparatively new in the science of 'Saw- 
bonery. ' I didn't ask him his name — the army supposition being that it is none 
of my business. And as a man has no right even to think, I bothered my head 
no more about it. Do what you are told to do, and never dare to think on 
anything but your duty. The definition of soldier is, one who is paid by the 
Government to stand up and be shot at ; a machine to be twisted by dumb and 
drunken officers, and to move as he is told ; a man who is cursed when he does 
right, and cursed when he does wrong. I inquired the name of our doctor ; it 
is Moser, from Harrisburg. 

July igth. — "This has been thepleasantest day wehavehadfor a long time. 
The refugees from the rebel army have entered into merchandising. It is a 
source of much fun to question them in reference to rebel affairs, they never telling 
the same story to two persons. The division commenced moving about mid- 
night, on a reconnoisance toward Gordonsville. 

July 24th. — " The negroes are coming in in droves, principally from Caroline 
and Prince George counties. The foraging business is being gone into now 
with full vim, under General Pope's orders. Ten wagons, with a large number 
of men started out this morning in search of potatoes and other ' garden sass,^ 
over the river. 'William S. McNair had his leg bruised or sprained by falling 
from his horse." 

Lieutenant Gries left the battery on July 28th under orders 
to recruit men for the service. He spent the greater portion of 
his leisure time in the orderly sergeant's tent, and was a favorite of 
the men. On August 4th the battery moved a distance of about 
half a mile and estabhshed its camp in a wheat-stubble field. The 
troops of General Burnsides' command began to arrive from North 
Carohna and encamp about Fredericksburg. On the evening of 
the 6th the centre section of the battery crossed the Rappahannock 
River and took part in a reconnoissance with infantry and cavalry, 
returning at about 10 o'clock. On the evening of the 8th the left 
section went out with a similar force on like duty, and returned 
after reaching a point about six miles below Fredericksburg. 




52 Durell's Battery. 

CHAPTER VII. 

Pope's Retreat — Kelly's Ford and Bristoe. 

TV/f AJOR-GENERAL John Pope had been placed in command 
7 A. of all troops in Virginia north of the Peninsula, and had 
made an aggressive movement against Richmond from the 
north, a portion of his army under General Banks having advanced 
south as far as Culpepper Court House. On the 9th of August 
troops began to leave Fredericksburg to join Pope's advance at 
Culpepper. 

General Jesse L. Reno's Division of Burnside's Corps, being 
short of artillery, Durell's Battery was, on the 12th, transferred 
from McDowell's Corps to Reno's Division. The expeditionary 
forces of Burnside's command were, on the same day, merged into 
the Ninth Army Corps. This corps contained some famous regi- 
ments that had rendered distinguished services in North Car- 
olina. Among them were the 48th, 50th, 51st and looth Penn- 
sylvania, the 51st, 79th (Highlanders) and 9th (Hawkins' Zou- 
avesj New York, the 21st Massachusetts, the 2nd Maryland, the 
9th New Hampshire and other regiments of good fighting material, 
all from the East. There were no Western Regiments in this corps. 
Durell's Battery was assigned to the Second Brigade, Second 
Division, composed of the 51st Pennsylvania. 51st New York, 21st 
Massachusetts and 9th New Hampshire Regiments, commanded by 
Brigadier General Samuel Sturgis. 

On the afternoon of the same day a high wind storm burst 
suddenly upon the camps and blew so fiercely that the men were 
obliged to hang to the tent poles to keep their cpiarters from being 
carried away in the gale. Scarcely anything could be seen for the 
flying dust which arose from the finely ground soil of the wheat 
field upon which the battery was encamped. In the midst ot the 
tempest the blare of the bugler's " Assembly" was heard above 
the roar of the storm, and the men groped their way through the 
blinding dust into line, wondering what would hai)pcn next. Cap- 
tain Durell came out of his tent and gave orders to pack up and be 
in readiness to move at 6 o'clock in the evening, and also informed 
the men that they were to join General Pope's army in the neigh- 
borhood of Culpep[)er Court House. 



Pope's Retreat — Kelly's Ford and Bristoe. 53 

About the same time newspapers were received announcing 
that a battle had been fought at Cedar Mountain, a few miles below 
Culpepper Court House, between Jackson and Banks, in which 
Jackson was compelled to retire. Active service seemed to be in 
sight for the battery, which prospect nearly all the men appeared 
to welcome. The infantry of the brigade to which the battery had 
just been assigned had been engaged in battle under Burnside at 
Newbern and other points in North Carolina, and were not " spoil- 
ing for fight," as were those who had not yet been under the fire 
of the enemy. 

The battery moved promptly at the appointed time, but was 
halted before proceeding far to wait for the infontry to come up. 
A large number of the army wagons were provided with green 
mules, and negro drivers new to the business, which, on the bad 
roads, cut up by a heavy column that had preceded, resulted in 
several upsets and slow progress. The column was on the road all 
night long and halted at sunrise the next morning to feed the horses 
and permit the men to make a cup of coffee. At 8 o'clock the 
column was again in motion, making frequent halts, which permitted 
the men to do some foraging. The country offered fair opportu- 
nities for this diversion, abounding in green corn, geese, chickens, 
etc. , which afforded an acceptable change in the army rations. It 
was a hard march for the infantry. Heretofore they had been 
transported from point to point principally by rail or water, and 
there was considerable straggling. The August sun shown hot, 
and made the knapsack and accoutrements they carried hang like 
heavy burdens upon their backs. The column was again in motion 
the following morning at 6 o'clock, and soon reached the railroad 
at Rappahannock Station, where the infantry were loaded upon 
cars and carried by rail down through Culpepper to the front. 
The artillery of the division continued the march and encamped at 
night about two miles above Culpepper. 

On the 15th, the march was again resumed, passing through 
Culpepper Court House, the artillery joined the infantry which 
had proceeded by rail, and went into camp a mile south of the 
town. The encampments of the troops were visible as far as the 
eye could reach. General Pope had concentrated his army at this 
point, and was hourly receiving reinforcements of McClellan's 
troops that were brought from the Peninsula via the Potomac 
River. A large body of the Confederate army was known to have 
left the Peninsula, moving north, and Pope was preparing to meet 



54 Durkll's Battery. 

them. The battle-field of Slaughter Mountain was in close prox- 
imity to the camp Some of the wounded of that battle, who 
had crawled into the woods and could not at first be found, were 
now being brought in. Nearly every house in Culpepper was a 
hospital, from which the wounded were sent by rail to Alexandria 
as fast as possible, a number of them being Confederates. 

On the i6th, the entire division moved eight miles to the left 
and distant from the battle-field about three miles. The weather 
was very hot. The rations were short, and orders were given to 
the troops to subsist upon the country. This was agreeable to the 
men, and was easily compHed with, as that section of country had 
not been foraged by troops of either side of the conflict. The 
men fared sumptuoi'sly on fresh pork, mutton, green corn, fruit, 
etc. The next day, a number of the batterymen visited the battle- 
field, though nothing could be seen but the marks of the contest 
upon the ground, fences and trees. The wounded had all been 
removed and the dead buried. 

On the i8th, there was a muster inspection, after which the 
battery was drilled upon a very rough field. Marching orders were 
issued in the afternoon, and the command was held in readiness 
until midnight, when a backward course was taken instead of for- 
ward as had been expected. It was the beginning of Pope's re- 
treat. The troops were ordered to place the remaining fence rails 
upon the camp fires before starting, so that the fires would be kept 
up long after the withdrawal of the army, and give the enemy the 
impression that Pope's troops were still there. The route ot the 
retreat of the -Second Division of the Ninth Corps led through 
Stevenslnirg to Kelly's Ford, distant about eight miles below Rap- 
pahannock Stadon. Stevensburg, a village of the homeliest of 
houses, without paint or v\hitewash, was passed through at day- 
break, and before meriiiian, the battery forded the Rappahannock 
River at Kelly's Ford, and took position for action in an old peach 
orchard located upon the bluffs, commanding an extended range 
over the south side of the stream After Captain Durell had made 
careful disposition ot his command, the men erected their tents 
and prei)ared their rations for dinner. Durnig the attcrnoon, 
Ceneral Pope and his staff passed by on a round of inspecting his 
lines. Toward evening the enemy's cavalry pickets made their 
appearance in the edge of the woods, distant nearly a mile from 
the river, and were met by the Union cavalry pickets, when a 
skirmish took place. Two shots were sent from the battery's guns, 
upon which the enemy retired into the woods. 



Pope's Retreat — Kelly's Ford and Bristoe. 55 

On the morning of the 21st, numbers of the enemy came into 
the clearing and exposed themselves to view, indicating that the 
woods were full of Confederates. In the afternoon Cieneral Bu- 
ford came down to the ford with his brigade of cavalry and crossed 
the river to reconnoitre and ascertain the strength of the enemy. 
Having no artillerv, the left section of Durell's Battery, Lieutenant 
Howard Mcllvain commanding, was detailed for service with tV e 
cavalry on this reconnoissance. Mcllvain, riding at the head of his 
command of two guns, followed the cavalry across the river, and 
was halted in the road at the edge of the woods to await orders 
from General Buford. The cavalry advanced through the woods, 
driving the enemy before them. The woods were about a mile in 
breadth, and when the cavalry reached the open fields upon the 
other side, the rattle of the carbines opened in a very hvely manner. 
Mcllvain now received orders to move quickly over the road 
through the woods in support of the cavalry. The cannoneers 
were ordered to mount the ammunition chests, and the horses 
were urged forward on a brisk gallop. The guns flew through the 
woods at such a rate of speed as to make riding on the ammunition 
chests almost as dangerous as exposure to the enemy's bullets. 
The men were obliged to hold on to the hd and hand'es of the 
chests with vice-like grasp, as the wheels struck the stones and 
stumps in the road. 

Emerging from the woods the scene of the battle, which ex- 
tended over several fields of level ground, came into full view. The 
Union cavalry was engaged in a hot skirmish, and Mcllvain was 
ordered to unlimber his guns and open upon the enemy. The 
ten-pounder rifled Parrotts were very soon throwing time shells, 
and the enemy as quickly responded with twenty pound rifled 
guns, their first shot striking the ground and bursting in very close 
proximity to Mcllvain' s section. The second struck the flank of a cav- 
alryman' s horse about fifty yards distant from the section of artillery 
and killed the animal. Other shots struck the fence rails that had 
been piled up by the cavalry to serve as barricades. Mcllvain 
soon got the range and the enemy's guns were silenced He 
then advanced a few hundred yards to get the view which a corner 
of a woods to the front and left cut off, and selected for his target 
a large house around which a considerable body of the Confede- 
rates had gathered. The second shot passed through the roof and 
created a hvely scene in that vicinity, mounted men fleeing in 
different directions, their heads bobbing up and down as they 



56 Durell's Battery. 

galloped away to a place of safety. A few moments afterward the 
enemy re-opened fire from their battery, while Mcllvain was again 
advancing his position, but they were speedily silenced. 

At this juncture, a staff officer came galloping up to Lieutenant 
Mcllvain and commanded him to retire through the woods. Mc- 
llvain, who had warmed up to the fight, and was desirous of press- 
ing his success to a decided issue, demanded, "By whose orders?" 
The staff officer answered, " By orders of General Buford. " So 
there was no alternative. Obedience to ihe orders of superiors is 
the prime duty of a soldier. The guns were limbered up and re- 
tired through the woods at a rate of speed almost as rapid as they 
had been advanced. Suddenly the command was brought to a 
halt in front of a regiment of infantry of the division which had 
been sent across the river to support the cavalry and which were 
lined along the opposite side of the road fence, ready to pour a 
volley into the approaching artillery. Lieutenant Mcllvain took 
in the perilous situation in an instant and saved his command 
from disaster by throwing up his arms and shouting, " Your own 
men I " The infantry, who had mistaken the dust-covered artil- 
lerists for a column of approaching Confederates, immediately 
answered Mcllvain' s shout by bringing the butts of their rifles to 
the ground. It was a narrow escape from one of those unfortu- 
nate occurrences of troops firing into their own men, which took 
place on several occasions during the war. 

Proceeding through the woods into the open space near the 
river, the left section joined the other four guns of the battery, 
which had in the meantime been sent to the south side of the 
river. The left section was in a few minutes again detached from 
the battery and posted near the edge of the woods. At this point 
the trees had been cut off", the ground being covered with second 
growth timber. From this position Mcllvain was ordered to shell 
the locahty occupied by the enemy which he had encountered on 
the other side of the woods. This was all chance work, as the 
effect of the shots upon the enemy could not be seen. This ran- 
dom shooting was continued for about half an hour, when the sec- 
tion was ordered to join the main portion of the battery. The 
men of the left section were now the envy of their comrades. They 
had been in a fight, and the others had not. But the latter' s 
opportunity was yet to come, and it was not long in coming. 

A few moments later Captain Durell received orders to ad- 
vance through the woods with his entire command. The battery 



Pope's Retreat — Kelly's Ford and Bristoe. 57 

moved forward at a lively rate over the same road that had been 
taken by the left section. The enemy's artillery opened upon the 
column when it reached the ground from which Mcllvain was retired, 
dropping shot and shell upon each side of it ; but Captain Durell, 
cool and collected, seemingly unmindful of the fire, advanced to 
the crest of a ridge to the left, upon which the guns went into 
position. In this movement the battery was supported by the 5th 
New York Cavalry, which covered its exposed flank. The guns 
soon replied to the enemy's shots, and drove them from their jjosi- 
tion after expending about forty rounds upon them. 

Night was coming on when the battery retired with the cavalry 
to the north bank of the Rappahannock, General Buford i)robably 
having obtained the information he wanted. At all events, it was 
learned that Lee's army had left the Peninsula and was near at 
hand. Thus ended the engagement at Kelly's Ford, the battery's 
baptism of fire. Though exposed to the cannonading of the enemy 
for some time before it stopped in the advance to reply, it did not 
lose a man, and succeeded in silencing the guns opposed to it. 
From prisoners captured by the cavalry, it was learned that the 
enemy's battery was badly hammered and several of the cannoneers 
killed. The men of Durell' s Battery bivouacked that night on the 
banks of the Rappahannock, with a feeling of gratification that their 
first encounter with the enemy had resulted in nothing that would 
cast a shadow upon their record. 

The battery moved early the next morning (August 2 2d). 
Rain fell during the night and made the bottom land near the 
river a very unpleasant place to bivouac. The division commander, 
Major-General Jesse L. Reno, came along just before the battery 
pulled out of park and stopped to give Captain Durell instructions. 
He had a very singular voice — somewhat effeminate and scjueaking 
— which became the subject of considerable comment and amuse- 
ment among the men. The general was quite a stranger to the 
battery and the men saw only his peculiarities. Later, when they 
became better acquainted with his sterling qualides, they fully 
appreciated his worth as a soldier. 

The command moved away from the low land and wound 
over hilly and slippery roads up the north bank of the Rappahan- 
nock. The sound of cannon was heard from the direction of the 
march, and suggested to the men the prospect of another day of 
fighting. Soon after, a staff officer came galloping down the road 
with orders for Captain Durell to send a section of his battery to 



58 Durell's Battery. 

join (leneral Buford's cavalry at Fayetteville, some six miles dis- 
tant. The centre section, Lieutenant Christopher Loser, com- 
manding, was detailed for the duty. I'he section of guns went 
forward at full speed, in hght marching order, and was soon out of 
sight. The remaining two sections moved forward slowly in rear 
of a long column of infantry. There were many long and vexa- 
tious halts, the day's march ending about 8 o'clock in the even- 
ing, when the battery parked about one mile from Rappahannock 
Station. 

It moved out of camp at 8 o'clock the next morning and 
joined the column of infantry, which slowly marched along the road 
running the course of the river, progress being interrupted by fre- 
(juent halts. These stages of marching and halting were continued 
until midnight. The distance covered at the end of the day's 
march was not much over five miles. Cannonading was heard all 
day long at different points along the river, General Sigel having 
met the enemy in a lively engagement in the vicinity of Rappa- 
hannock Station. 

On the morning of the 24th, the battery moved at daylight 
and proceeded about six miles, when it parked for dinner in a 
grove on an elevated piece of ground near the river, not far from 
Warrenton Springs. While the men were enjoying an after-dinner 
rest, they were unceremoniously aroused by the enemy, who opened 
upon them from the opposite side of the river with a battery. 
The captain ordered " Boots and Saddles," and the command left 
its exposed resting place in very short order. The enemy suc- 
ceeded in dropping four shells uncomfortably near ; but, fortu- 
nately, neither man nor beast was injured. Heavy fighting was in 
progress not far distant at the bridge, which the eneniy had built 
with the intention of crossing the river. The Union batteries had 
killed some of the horses and driven the cannoneers away from the 
guns of a Confederate battery. The enemy's sharpshooters were 
firing upon the men, who were endeavoring to destroy the bridge. 
The Union guns sent a shell at them whenever they made an ap- 
pearance. The Union force finally succeeded in setting the bridge 
on fire, and burned it to the water. The battery again moved, 
with many delays, until midnight, when it halted, with orders to 
keep the horses in harness The men were permitted to lie down 
at their respective posts around the guns. 

At daylight the command moved from its bivouac, which was 
near the Sulphur Springs, and marched up to Warrenton, where the 



Pope's Retreat — Kelly's Ford and Bristoe. 59 

centre section returned to the battery from its scouting service with 
the cavalry. The men of that section had had a rough experience. 
They had left the battery in haste, many of them without blankets 
or haversacks, and had obtained but three meals in their four days' 
absence. ^Vhen they reached the vicinity of Warrenton, they 
foraged upon the faim houses. The men of the other two sections 
of the battery were also short of rations. Charles H. MacCorkle, 
who went out with the centre section, gives the following account 
of their raid with the cavalry : 

' ' Upon reaching Fayetteville, we were marched to a ford of the Rappahannock 
River, cannoneers mounted, and there joined the cavalry, who were in line of 
battle. We were assigned to a position in a field by the side of a road, with 
orders to have a double charge of canister ready at the mouth of each gun, and 
to repeat the fire rapidly in case of an attack by the enemy. We remained in 
this position, every man at his post, until evening. No hard-tack or coffee that 
night. A very heavy thunderstorm came up during the night. Lightning 
struck into the cavalry and caused the discharge of a pistol which was in a cav- 
alryman's holster, and sent a ball into his leg. He was carried back to a field 
hospital. Before the storm, it was expected that the rebels would make an 
attempt to cross the river and attack, but the rain fell in such torrents as to 
swell the stream, and prevented any attempt they might have contemplated of 
fording the river. Even had they been successful in effecting a crossing, they 
might have found it necessary to recross, which was not a pleasant contingency 
to arise when confronted by a rapidly swelling stream. The men stood at their 
posts all night long, wet to the skin, with double charges of canister with which 
to greet the approaching enemy. 

"At 10 o'clock on the 23d, we were ordered to march back to Fayetteville. 
There we halted until 1.30 o'clock, when we received orders to return to the 
ford, as the rebels were exhibiting an intention to cross the river. We ao-ain 
placed our guns 'in battery' on the same ground occupied the day previous, 
but the enemy shortly afterward withdrew. We soon afterward retired from 
the ford and marched with the cavalry to Warrenton, where we bivouacked. 
The men had had nothing to eat since leaving the battery, but enjoyed a night 
of undisturbed rest. 

"On the morning of the 24th the cavalrymen gave us each a cup of coffee, 
and we foraged green corn and roasted it in the camp fire, which was regarded 
as quite a feast. The lieutenant gave his men permission to forage for both 
men and horses, which was done in the most approved style. Chickens, 
turkeys, cornmeal and milk were brought in and most of the day was devoted 
to cooking and eating. We lost two horses while on the reconnoissance and 
replaced them by impressing into the United States service two from an old 
rebel farmer. Troops were now passing us in a continuous column, and at 3 
o'clock in the afternoon, we, too, moved on to the other side of Warrenton and 
bivouacked for the night. Here we drew some rations of ' hard-tack.' 

" On the morning of the 25th we received word that the battery was coming, 
so we harnessed our horses and got in readiness to join it, which we were very 
glad to do when it made its appearance, and moved with it to Warrenton Junc- 
tion, where the whole battery encamped." 



6o Durell's Battery. 

A depot of supplies for the army had been established at the 
Junction. Here the battery received rations for the men, and feed 
for the half-starved horses. The place was in a bustle with engines 
and cars moving backward and forward, in the work of hiuling the 
vast amount of supplies necessary to feed Pope's army. Some of 
the trains came in loaded with troops from McClelland' s army, 
brought down from Washington to reinforce Pope. The divisions 
of Generals Hooker and Kearney had all arrived. The artillerists 
spent the greater portion of the day in cooking rations and doing 
the "family wash," which was badly needed. 

The battery moved toward Manassas on the morning of the 
27th. Passing by Hooker's troops, it was observed that all of his 
men were under arms ; som€ in motion, and others ready to take 
their place as the column moved forward. The battery had pro- 
ceeded some distance, when the whole column was brought 10 a 
halt by an aide riding by on a full run towards the front. Soon 
the column was countermarched back toward the Junction. The 
battery passed slowly through a woods and over a small creek, but 
had hardly crossed the creek and gained the level ground, when 
the orders "Trot, march !" were given. The command moved 
forward at a gallop, passing everything on the route, and raising 
such a dust that the drivers could barely see each other's horses. 
On reaching the Junction the battery joined Hooker's troops, who 
were drawn up in line. The railroad was crossed, when an aide 
rode up and ordered a section of the battery to join Reno's troops 
on the lower side of the railroad, in the direction of Catlett. The 
left section, Lieuteaant Howard Mcllvain commanding, was detailed 
for this service. 

The entire force, consisting of Hooker's and Kearney's Divis- 
ions (both under command of (General Hooker), and Reno's com- 
mand, comprising his own and Stephen's Divisions, were started off 
on quick time. As Catlett was approached, marks of the late Con- 
federate raid were observed. The enemy had been there that morn- 
ing. At Catlett, a body of cavalry was found huddled up in the 
woods. They reported that they had been driven in that forenoon 
and that the Confederates under Jackson had burned the railroad 
bridges toward Manassas. About a mile above Catlett, evidence 
of recent work by the enemy was seen. They had fired some 
buildings which were still burning. Skirmishers were sent in 
advance into the woods, and the battery followed slowly. 







1' i,^jjv-j^ _(i,K ^. V«-.>f"7>*"VfrR^qp 

I 




Pope's Retreat — Kelly's Ford and Bristoe. 6i 

After proceeding in this manner some three or four miles, 
word came that the enemy was about an hour's march in advance. 
The bridges along the route had been burned and were still smok- 
ing ; the track was torn up in many places ; the sleepers were on fire 
and the rails laid over the burning ties. Kettle Run was reached 
and crossed, when the command was brought to a halt. It was 
supposed by some of the men that the halt was caused by the col- 
umn taking the wrong road, but they were suddenly assured that 
they were not on the wrong road for the game they were after, by 
the report of a gun, followed immediately by the bursting of a case 
shell above their heads. It was like a stroke of hghtning from a 
clear sky. The sections of the battery which were separated when 
the days' march began, had come together on the way, but were 
now again separated. The left section, under command of Lieu- 
tenant Mcllvain, was assigned to a brigade of Hooker's infantry, 
and followed it up a road which turned off" to the left. The 
other two sections of the battery were ordered to advance along 
the railroad. 

The left section ascended a short, steep hill on a brisk trot, 
which brought it in full view of the enemy. Immediately the lat- 
ter opened with musketry and artillery, the Union infantry reply- 
ing, and the left section coming cpiickly "into battery," com- 
menced firing. A sharp battle was now in progress. The heaviest 
of the infantry fighting took place in a dense pine thicket, conceal- 
ing both sides of that arm of the service from view, the main por- 
tion of the battery being unable, on this account, to find a posi- 
tion to bring their guns to bear upon the enemy. Cieneral 
Hooker, mounted on a white horse, remained near the section 
during the first stage of the battle, directing and encouraging the 
infantry commands that passed forward into the fight. His men 
said that to see him on his white horse was a sure indication of a 
fight. He was accompanied by one orderly. Desiring some in- 
formation from the front, he sent Lieutenant Mcllvain forward 
afoot. On returning, the lieutenant had a narrow escape from 
being shot by one of his own guns, which was discharged at the 
instant he emerged from the thicket, over which the section was 
sending time shells at a rapid rate. 

After a contest of about twenty minutes, the enemy's infantry 
was driven out of the timber and his artillery forced back. They 
were followed, now on open ground, by the whole Union line, and 
the battle renewed about a half a mile distant, where the enemy 



62 Dukell's Battery. 

made a stand. The left section still composed the only artillery 
on the left wing of the line. Occupying an advanced position, it 
was taken for the enemy by a Rhode Island battery which was 
posted off to the right and rear. Several shells were thrown at the 
section, one of which exploded over the command ; but the Rhode 
Islanders were informed of their mistake by signal before any cas- 
ualties occurred. The enemy was again driven back some distance 
and made another stand. The left section c^uickly followed and 
wheeled into action at the first shot from the enemy's guns. Here 
the other two sections came up, when the six guns of the battery 
opened a hot fire upon the Confederate artillery and soon drove it 
from the field. 

The Confederates were now in full retreat, and night coming 
on the pursuit was discontinued after crossing Bull Run, where the 
troops bivouacked. Thus ended the battle of Ikistoe Station. 
The only loss suffered by the battery was one horse killed — being 
the mount of Sergeant Samuel K. Whitner, chief of the fifth gun. 

At a house a few hundred yards from the bivouac was found 
a coui)le of beeves killed and quartered. Upon nearer approach 
to the house, the nostrils of the men who were on a foraging expe- 
dition, were greeted with the savory aroma of cooking beef-steak. 
The hungry artillerists quickly followed the scent into the house, 
which was without a human occupant, and were gratified to find 
several frying pans full of steak on a fire of coals made from the 
plantation fence-rails. The meat was inspected and pronounced 
done to the taste, when the men sat down and enjoyed a beef- 
steak supper. The uncooked beef was taken to the bivouac and 
dealt out to their comrades, who were grateful to the enemy for the 
preparation of their entertainment. Some of the latter' s soldiers 
had no doubt been obliged to leave the beef in their haste to get 
away. After dark, a great light illuminated the sky in the direction 
of Manassas, which was supposed to be caused by the burning of 
its buildings. 




Pope's Retreat — Bull Run and Chantilly. 63 



CHAPTER VIII. 
Pope's Retreat — Bull Run and C'haxtillv. 

nARLY on the morning of the 2Sth, the command moved 
toward Manassas, which it reached about noon. The cause 
of the great hght of the night before was now revealed. 
The enemy having previously burned the bridge across Bull Run, 
rendering it impossible for the Federals to move their supplies in 
the retreat. One hundred and forty-seven car loads, valued at 
^1,000,000, had been destro) ed, under orders, by the Second 
Pennsylvania Cavalry. But the Confederates had come upon the 
scene in time to secure some of the supplies before they were all 
consumed. Considerable ammunition fell into their hands, and 
they fitted out their artillery horses with new harness at the expense 
of the Federal Government. Durell's Battery got fourteen sets of 
very nice team harness for its wagons. Stores of every descrip- 
tion were strewn around — tea boxes burst open, coffee and sugar 
barrels destroyed Such articles as the Federals did not need they 
broke and scattered about so as to be of no use. 

The battery halted at Manassas for an hour or more, when it 
moved toward Centreville. Proceeding up the road one of the 
cannoneers discovered the body of a dead Confederate cavalryman 
lyiug in the bushes that fringed the road side. It was brought out 
into the road, and examined, and found to bear marks of a bullet 
wound in the breast near the region of the heart. The story of 
the cavalryman's death was reported in thiswise : Early that morn- 
ing General Phil. Kearney rode along the road, unaccompanied by 
his staff. On either side the highway was bordered with trees and 
bushes. The cavalryman stepped out from the bushes as the gen- 
eral came up, saying, " You're my prisoner. " Quick as a flash 
the general drew his revolver, exclaiming, "Am I?" and shot the 
Confederate. There happened to be a halt in the march at this 
point. After some inquiry into the circumstances attending the 
death of the foeman — a sort of military post mortem — the body 
was buried by the artillerists at the road side. 

After the column had resumed the march, a great explosion 
was heard, which was supposed to be a Confederate caisson, but 



64 Durell's Battery. 

it was afterward learned to have been one of Monroe's. It had 
broken down, and he was compelled to blow it up to prevent its 
falling into the hands of the enemy. Cannonading was in progress 
off to the left, in the direction of the old Bull Run battle-field, 
which continued throughout the day. The battery bivouacked at 
about 10 o'clock for the night. 

On the 29th it was off again at 6 o'clock, moving rapidly, the 
brigade teams ahead, the others taking the rear. Centreville was 
reached about 10 o'clock. The cannonading in the direction of 
Bull Run was growing heavier. The baggage wagons were parked 
here, and the battery proceeded toward the scene of the battle, 
advancing across Bull Run over the stone bridge as quickly as pos- 
sible. Early in the afternoon the battle became general along the 
whole hne. The battery was ordered up to the front, and went 
into action half a mile to the right and front of the Stone Hospital, 
reheving another battery. Hartranft's 5 ist Pennsylvania Regiment 
was placed in support. Durell opened fire immediately upon the 
enemy's artillery and the woods in front, which were occupied by 
their infantry. The position of the battery, which was posted on a 
hill, commanded an excellent range. 

The fire of the enem/s artillery grew heavier, and the men 
were kept busy replying to the guns opposed. The contest was 
kept up for nearly an hour, when the Confederate fire weakened, 
and there was a cessation of the cannonading. The 51st New 
York and the 2 ist Massachusetts regiments, belonging to the brigade 
to which the battery was attached, were advanced to the edge of the 
woods, about a quarter of a mile in advance, where they were 
joined by another brigade of the Second Division. This force 
entered the woods and charged upon a railroad embankment which 
ran parallel with the line of battle. The embankment formed an 
excellent breastwork, behind which the Confederates were await- 
ing to receive the assault. As the line approached, it encoun- 
tered a withering fire of musketry and canister. It wavered and 
soon fell back, being unable to face the terrible ordeal. The 
broken ranks of troops came out of the woods into the open 
ground, followed by the enemy. As the Confederates appeared 
the battery sent into their line a rapid fire of time-shell and 
schrapnel. The Union infantry had retired almost to the foot of 
the hill upon which the battery was posted, so that the shots 
from Durell's guns were carried over their heads into the enemy's 
ranks. 



Pope's Retreat — Bull Run and Chantillv. 65 

The battle was now raging fiercely and the flying bullets and 
shells were whistling and shrieking through the air. 'J"he Confed- 
erates advanced, defiantly waving their l)attle- flags. They had 
covered about two hundred yards, when the fire which had now 
been concentrated upon them from every available point, became 
too hot to be endured, causing iheir line to break and retreat in 
disorder back to the woods from whence they came. Some of the 
shots from the battery's guns were terribly effective, — plunging 
into the line as it approached and making serious gaps in it. The 
field was thickly dotted with the dead and wounded of both sides, 
evidencing the terrible carnage of the fight. 

A lull in the batde followed the repulse of the enemy. Al- 
though the battery was exposed to a hot fire of shot and shell, but 
one of its number was struck — Private Charles A. Cuffel, who 
was serving the third gun at the lanyard. A Belgium musket ball, 
that had first struck the ground in front of him, glanced and hit 
him on the breast. He was, however, able to resume his post at 
the gun an hour later when the battle broke out afresh. The 
Doylestown guidon also had the honor of receiving bullet holes. 

The fighting was spasmodic during the remainder of the after- 
noon. As soon as the enemy resumed the fight the Union troops 
replied, until the battle again subsided to the fire of the skirmish 
line. Neither side gained any material advantage. An incessant 
fire was kept up on the skirmish line throughout the night ; and, 
about midnight, became so heavy as to threaten a general engage- 
ment. The troops on the line of battle, who were lying on their 
arms, trying to catch a few hours' rest, were called up ; but, as the 
firing soon subsided, and a normal condition of affairs was re- 
sumed on the skirmish line, the men were permitted to lie down 
again. 

The morning of the 30th ushered in hot weather. There was 
httle fighting in the early part of the day. There seemed to be 
little disposition on the part of either side to attack. A constant 
fire was kept up on the picket line, and an occasional shot was 
fired by the enemy's artillery, to which the battery did not reply. 
Early in the afternoon, however, the Confederates made an attack 
in force upon the left of the line. Heavy fighting continued for 
several hours, the enemy assaulting repeatedly, without success, 
until late in the afternoon, when they succeeded in breaking in on 
the left and forcing it back in confusion. During this time Durell's 
Battery was actively engaged in shelling the enemy's lines which 



66 Durell's Battery. 

appeared in the edge of the woods. Emerging from the timber, 
they advanced toward the battery until the fire became too hot for 
them, when they fell back to the cover of the trees. 

But the Union left had been turned and was in a state of con- 
fusion. The enemy pushed forward and the battery's flank be- 
came exposed. The enfilading fire of the enemy's artillery, (some 
of whose guns threw railroad iron for the want of projectiles), and 
the shower of musketry, which was increasing in force, made the 
position of the battery untenable. The axle of the third gun was 
struck in the middle and damaged, two horses were killed and one 
man wounded. The enemy advanced from the woods in front 
with increased force, and were approaching the crest of the hill 
when the battery was ordered to retire. It descended the hill, 
the gun with the damaged axle moving carefully over the ground 
following the remainder of the battery — for the axle still bore the 
gun — until it encountered a deep ditch, where the carriage broke 
down. 

It was now thought to be impossible to save this gun, so 
Sergeant Henry Sailor, chief of the piece, ordered it to be spiked. 
This was done by sending the rammer to the bottom of the bore, 
and driving a rat-tail file into the vent with an axe until the file 
clinched with the head of the rammer. Thus it was about to be 
abandoned, when another stand upon the first hill some eight or 
nine hundred yards in rear of the first position was made by the 
battery, and fire re-opened upon the advancing enemy. The gun 
detachment was then ordered to sling the piece under the limber, 
or front wheels of the gun carriage, with fixed prolong, which duty 
it proceeded to perform under a galling fire from the enemy. In 
the work of rescuing the gun from capture the detachment was 
between the lines. The shells from their own guns were passing 
over their heads from the rear, and the shells and railroad iron 
from the enemy's guns were plunging into the ground from the 
front and flanks. It was an unusual situation and a most trying 
experience, even for a veteran. But the work of slinging the gun 
under the limber of the carriage was expeditiously performed, for 
the battery had been well drilled for such an emergency. No note 
was taken of the time consumed in doing this work, but it is safe 
to assert that it had never been executed with such energy and 
dispatch on any battery drill. 

The disabled gun having been rescued it was hauled back to 
the position where the battery .was still engaged in firing. The 



Pope's Retreat — Bull Run and Chantilly. 67 

enemy was sweeping everything before them. General Pope, ac- 
companied by General Sigel and several members of his staff, lode 
up to the battery's position, took a survey of the field, and held a 
consultation with his officers. Everything was confusion. In- 
fantry, artillery and wagon trains were moving in chaos, wiih the 
one purpose of getting away from the advancing eneaiy ; officers 
searching for their men, and privates inquiring for the whereabouts 
of their commands ; teams rushing back, with here and there a 
baggage wagon overturned in the deep ditch along the roadside, 
from which the driver had cut the traces and ridden away upon his 
horses or mules to the rear. It must have been with a degree of 
painful disappointment and humiliation that the commanding gen- 
eral witnessed this scene. It was a disorderly retreat, but did not 
approach to the degree of a panic, as in the case of the first battle 
of Bull Run. Not all the troops, however, were thus routed and 
confused. General Sigel' s and other commands gave the enemy 
a stubborn retiring fight, affording the broken troops ample time to 
withdraw, thus saving a large number of scattered men from capture. 

In about twenty minutes from the time of taking the second 
position, the battery was again ordered to retire, and crossing the 
stone bridge it moved up the Centreville road. The march was 
slow, marked by numerous halts made necessary by the heavy col- 
umn of disorganized troops, baggage wagons and artillery trains 
which blocked the road. It continued until after midnight, when 
the battery turned into a field not far from Centreville, and bivou- 
acked until morning. The next day it took a position in one of the 
old Confederate earthworks at Centreville. It soon received orders 
to move to Alexandria, but later the order was countermanded, 
and the men and horses were permitted to take much needed rest 
during the greater part of the day. Long trains of ambulances 
passed up the turnpike, loaded with the wounded, who were hur- 
ried off to the Washington hospitals. 

Some rain fell on the morning of September i, and the men 
were cold and hungry. No means for supplying rations were at 
hand. The baggage wagons of the battery had left in the rush of 
the day previous, as had nearly all of the wagon trains of the army. 
The troops were fatigued and somewhat dispirited. The whole 
army seemed to smart under the realization that it had received 
another Bull Run defeat. The position of the battery was changed 
several times, and late in the afternoon it moved up the turnpike 
toward Alexandria. 



68 Durell's Battery. 

" It was soon discovered that the rebels were in motion to strike the Union 
column by a movement upon its right to cut off its retreat. Reno's Corps was 
immediately sent to meet this movement, with the cavalry in advance, and was 
soon joined by Stevens and Kearney. The two armies were moving on diver- 
gent roads and the lines struck at Chantilly. It was nightfall, and a terrible 
thunderstorm prevailed ; but Kearney and Stevens and Reno, three impetuous 
leaders, immediately forming, moved upon the foe and fought in the darkness. 
They knew nothing of his strength and little of the ground, and contended 
with great disadvantage." — Bates' History of Penti^a Vols. 

The History of the 51st Pennsylvania Regiment gives the fol- 
lowing account of the opening of this battle : 

"The 2lst Massachusetts, being on the advance, encountered the enemy 
first, under very peculiar circumstances. A brigade of rebel infantry was filing 
out of a woods into the Fairfax road, just as Colonel Clark, at the head of 
his regiment, was passing the point into which the enemy were filing. The two 
colonels saluted each other, as each officer thought they were both of the same 
army ; and, as the men of the 21st Massachusetts wore overcoats of a color 
near those worn by the rebels, the delusion was complete. The two colonels 
rode along together for a few yards when the rebel asked, ' What's your regi- 
ment, Colonel ?' The answer was, ' It's the 21st Massachusetts.' ' My regi- 
ment is the Mississippi, and we are enemies,' replied the rebel colonel, 

and with his men made a fierce onslaught on the 21st Massachusetts, capturing 
Colonel Clark and a number of his men. The 51st Pennsylvania and the 51st 
New York were about half a mile in the rear, accompanied by Durell's Battery. 
The battle opened as if by magic. The battery got a position in a field close 
to the road, and the 51st was ordered to its support." 

Durell's Battery was hurried forward and entered the battle 
with the horses on a full gallop, coming into battery at the edge of 
a cornfield. It was the only battery, save one, engaged on this 
field. All the troops in the vicinity were soon engaged. Kearney 
and Stevens' commands had attacked the enemy on the latter' s 
own choice of ground. A hard fight took place for the possession 
of the cornfield, but Kearney succeeded in driving the Confed- 
erates from their position. As Kearney's men were following up 
their success, their gallant commander fell pierced by a bullet and 
died without a struggle. General Stevens was also killed, his life- 
less body being carried through the battery's line to the rear. As 
the battle waxed hot the rain fell in sheets which threatened to 
wet every grain of powder ; but it did not seem to dampen the 
fury of the fight in the least. It raged into the darkness of the 
night, unhindered by the storm, and ceased only when Jackson's 
lines were driven back. 

The battery had almost expended its last shot. The cannon- 
eers drew upon the ammunition still remaining in the caisson be- 



Pope's Retreat — Bui.i, Ritn and Chantillv. 69 

longing to the gun which had been disabled at Bull Run, and 
which followed the battery in all its subsequent movements to 
Washington, "rhc rain continued long after the fighting ceased, 
and the soldiers lay down upon the ground, weary, wet and hun- 
gry, many of them frilling asleep in the pouring rain, unmindful of 
the pitiless storm. A field hospital had been established in a house 
and barn near the position of the battery, from which came the 
sound of the groans of the wounded and dying, adding horror to the 
discomfort and gloom of the situation. The battery had suffered 
no loss in this battle. Sometime after midnight, it was ordered to 
move to the Alexandria turnpike, and proceeding up that high- 
way a distance of half a mile, it turned into a field and bivou- 
acked until daylight. 

The weather on the morning of September 2d, was clear and 
very cool. The troops built fires around which they gathered in 
shivering circles to dry their rain-soaked clothes by the warm glow. 
As soon as the artillerists got the bearing of the country, it was 
discovered that they were near the scene of their camp while on 
the advance with McClellan in the early spring. Soon after day- 
light the march toward Washington was resumed. Along the road 
there were numerous evidences of the hasty retreat, which had 
been made by the wagon trains. Here and there was a baggage 
wagon which had been foundered along the roadside, or telescoped 
in a ditch, and army stores of every description were strewn along 
the highway. The march was continued, with few halts, to Fair- 
fax Court House, where the battery parked for a few hours, after 
which it proceeded to Fairfax Seminary, within two miles of Alex- 
andria, where it encamped late in the afternoon. 

September 3d, was a very bright and cool day, and as the 
command did not move, the jaded and famished men and horses 
were enabled to secure some much needed rest. The men im- 
proved the opportunity to wash their clothing and to wTite letters. 
The baggage wagons came in during the day and the command 
once more was supplied with food and fodder. The teams had 
traveled all night of the ist, by a different road, and had struck 
the Potomac River nine miles below Alexandria, reaching that town 
toward evening on the 2d. Thence they found their way finally 
to the battery. 

At 2 o'clock on the afternoon of the 4th, the battery was 
ordered to march to the Washington Arsenal, to refit and replenish 
the ammunition chests. Passing through Alexandria it took the 



70 Durei.l's Battrry. 

road to the Long Bridge, which was so blocked with wagon trains 
as to compel a halt of two hours before it could effect a crossing. 
It did not reach the arsenal grounds until lo o'clock that night. 
The next morning the men found that they were in a beautiful 
green and shaded park. It was a pleasant change from the expo- 
sure to the hot sun, and the dusty and bleak resting places of the 
Virginia hills and vales, and was greatly enjoyed by the war-worn 
soldiers, after the strain of the hard campaign just closed. Some 
of the men took the opportunity to stroll into the city, but the 
greater number preferred to remain in camp and rest. 

Various rumors had reached the homes of the men concerning 
the welfare of the battery in the late battles. At Reading it was 
reported that it had been terribly cut up, and again that Durell 
and his entire command had been captured. About seventy citi- 
zens of Reading went to Washington to look after the sick and 
wounded, and search for friends belonging to the different com- 
mands that went out from that place. Several of them visited the 
battery on the night of its arrival in the arsenal grounds, among 
others, the father of Lieutenant Mcllvain. The lieutenant had 
shown such heroism in the recent battles, as to find himself idol- 
ized by the men. He was the most conspicuously cool, clear- 
headed and courageous officer of the command. He deserved the 
confidence and fealty of his men, who were quick to render him 
what was due. 




The Maryland Campaign — South Mountain. 71 



CHAPTER IX. 

The Maryland Campaign — South Mountain, 

AT his own request General Pope was now relieved of the 
command of the Army of the Potomac and General 
McClellan was restored. 

On the morning of the 7th the battery was taken into the 
arsenal buildings, where the gun that had been dismounted at Bull 
Run by a Confederate shot, was turned in and a new one drawn 
by the third detachment, all the ammunition chests filled with pro- 
jectiles and other needs of the battery supplied. In the afternoon 
orders were given to move, and the battery marched through the 
city and beyond into Maryland, encamping near Leesburg at 10 
o'clock that night. The country presented a different appearance 
from that which had just been left in Virginia, which had been 
stripped by the ruthless hand of war. Here the fences were all up, 
the buildings in good repair and there was an abundance of fruit. 
It was evident to the soldiers that it had not been in the hne of an 
army's march. And it is equally certain that it did not present an 
entirely unmolested appearance after the Union army had passed 
by, for soldiers would forage upon fruit and vegetables and use 
fence rails to build their camp fires. 

The next morning the battery was moved about half a mile, 
where orders were given to fix up a camp, as though it was expected 
that some time would be spent at that place. Here the men for- 
aged freely upon the surrounding country and brought into the 
camp a good supply of fruit, potatoes, corn, etc. 

But the march was again taken up the next morning, passing 
through Mechanicsville and Brookville, the battery parking its 
guns a short distance beyond the latter place early in the afternoon. 
The citizens of Brookville welcomed the marching column with 
waving flags and handkerchiefs. The troops here learned that they 
were being moved northward to head off the Confederates, who 
had crossed into Maryland. 

The battery reveille sounded early on the morning of the loth, 
but no marching orders following, the men were soon engaged in 
cooking green corn and new potatoes, and foraging upon the peach 



72 Duret-l's Battery. 

orchards. Heavy columns of troops passed by and pressed on 
nearly all day long. 

On the iith, a march of about twelve miles was made, en- 
camping for the night near Damascus. It. was resumed the next 
morning passing through several small towns, the citizens of which 
hailed the troops with joy. Squads of the Confederate cavalry had 
been seen scouting through this section the day previous, and upon 
reaching New Market the artillerists heard the sound of cannon- 
ading in the distance. They were now hurried forward to the out- 
skirts of Frederick, where the infantry in advance had that after- 
noon driven the enemy from that city. 

The morning of the 13th opened with the sound of continu- 
ous cannonading at the front, strong indication of an impending 
battle. Word came back to the troops that (leneral Frankhn's 
Division was engaging the Confederates at vSugar Loaf Mountain, 
a spur of the South Mountain range. They were dislodged late in 
the afternoon, when the battery was ordered forward and passed 
through Frederick City. The march through this town was a per- 
fect ovation. The citizens were greatly rejoiced at the repulse of 
Jackson's troops and their relief from the domination of the Con- 
federate soldiery. It was a scene, on a much smaller scale, similar 
to that witnessed on the march through Philadelphia It appeared 
more like a holiday parade than the sober work of marching on to 
battle. Hundreds of ladies waved flags and handkerchiefs from 
windows and doors as the troops marched by, and buckets of water 
were brought to the column to cpiench the thirst of the soldiers — for 
the clay was hot. Nearly every other house bore a flag, and it was 
hard to conceive how Jackson recruited 1700 men for his ranks in 
such a loyal place, as he was reported to have done. The fact is, 
that only from 200 to 300 went with the Confederates, although 
recruiting offices were opened and all manner of inducement was 
offered for enlistments. The Confederate loss by desertion about 
equalled tlie number of recruits. The march was continued over 
Sugar Loaf Mountain, the scene of the battle of that day, to 
Middletown, where the battery bivouacked about 8 o'clock in the 
evening. 

Sunday morning, the 14th, opened with heavy cannonading 
in front. The Confederates were contesting with the Union 
advance for the passage through the South Mountain. Ceneral 
Cox's Western Division came u\) and was added to Burnside's 
Ninth .Army Corps, which contained excellent fighting material. 



The Maryland Campaign — South Mountain. 73 

and a number of men who, after the war, became prominent in 
civil Hfe and national affairs ; two of whom have been exalted to 
the highest place within the gift of the people — namely, Colonel 
Rutherford B. Hayes and Private William McKinley, Jr., both of 
the 23rd Ohio Volunteers. 

The troops of General McClellan's Peninsular Army were 
marching in heavy columns on parallel roads toward the mountain, 
their bright bayonets flashing in the sunlight, presenting a brilliant 
spectacle. The magnificent scene was more suggestive of a grand 
military review than of a march to battle. 

The fighting by the advance body of troops had begun early 
in the morning, the sound of the conflict being distinctly heard at 
Middletown, several miles distant. It was about noon when the 
battery was ordered forward. Marching through the town. Burn- 
side's command left the Sharpsburg turnpike by a mountain road 
which forks off to the left, and which was at that time rough with 
stones and ruts, and narrow as a farm lane. It w-as a long, steep 
hill, and tried the wind of horses and men. Approaching the sum- 
mit and drawing within range of the enemy's fire, which was grow- 
ing very heavy, the battery was hurried forward on a galloj) and 
plunged into the battle. 

Taking the position of Cook's Massachusetts Battery, the guns 
of which were posted in the edge of a woods to the right of the 
road, and from which its men had been driven l)y a terrific cross- 
fire but a few minutes before, Durell's artillerists speedily got their 
guns "in battery " between the deserted guns, and opened a vig- 
orous fire upon the enemy. They were successful, twice silencing 
and driving back a Confederate battery, and harrassing the enemy's 
infantry as it advanced on the Union Hne on the right of their 
position. The reply of the enemy's artillery was for a time very 
hea)vy, during which two limbs of the trees under which the bat- 
tery was posted were cut off — one (]uite a heavy one, which came 
down upon Ca])tain Durell. It knocked him to the ground; but, 
besides a bruise or two, did not seriously injure him. 

Cook's batterymen, who were hugging the ground closely on 
the slope of the mountain some distance in rear of their guns, came 
up soon after Durell had commenced firing and ran their pieces off 
by hand to the rear. A masked battery had opened a fire of can- 
ister upon them after they had unlimbered their pieces, and killed 
and wounded a number of men before they could fire a shot. 



74 Durell's Battery. 

At the first lull in the battle Durell's men climbed the fence 
in front of their position into a sweet potato patch, and burrowed 
them out with their hands. While thus engaged, the enemy made 
another attack with artillery and an advancing column of infantry, 
when all hands sprang to their posts and renewed the fight. Sev- 
eral of the battery's shells burst in the ranks of the enemy and 
made wide gaps in the lines at which he turned and fled to the 
woods in his rear. Several such attempts to drive the Union line 
back were made, but each with the same unsuccessful result. 

It was now near sunset and all the fighting had ceased but 
that upon the picket lines. The men had an opportunity to look 
over the field and care for the wounded, who could not be at once 
taken away to the hospital. The ambulances had made several 
trips to the foot of the mountain loaded with mangled human 
freight, but the battle-ground was still strewn with the dead and 
wounded, at some points the blue and gray lying mingled together. 
A stone wall, starting at the end of the fence separating the woods 
from the sweet potato patch, ran up upon one side of the road, 
the bed of which had been washed down to the depth of several 
feet by frequent rain to the width of wagon tracks. This sunken 
road and stone wall had been the position of a Confederate brigade. 
Early in the battle the 17th Michigan, a new regiment, full of 
enthusiasm, made a most gallant charge diagonally across the road 
from left to right, in the face of a terrible fire, which swept the 
ranks at every step ; but the Confederates were driven from their 
strong position and soon disappeared in the woods beyond. Here 
the dead and wounded of both sides almost covered the roadway, 
and at some points were lying over each other. 

Just across the road from the battery's position stood a moun- 
tain cabin, which was found to be occupied by an elderly woman 
and her daughter, who had taken refuge in the cellar when the 
battle opened. Several cannon balls had penetrated the roof of 
the house, and the exposed sides of the building were thickly dotted 
with the marks of the heavy musketry. Some of the Union soldiers 
discovered the women in the course of their investigations of the 
cabin, still under cover of the cellar wall, and almost distracted 
with fear. The soldiers assured them that the danger was past, 
when they timidly came forth from the cellar. 

Firing along the picket line was still kept up, which occasion- 
ally swelled to almost the importance of an engagement and then 
again subsided, (ieneral Jesse L. Reno, commanding the Second 




MAJOR-GENERAL JESSE L. RENO 



The Maryland Campaign — South Mountain. 75 

Division of the Ninth Corps, had gone far in advance to make a 
personal reconnoissance, when he was shot, and carried back through 
the line of his troops about dusk in an ambulance, mortally wounded. 
He died that night. He was a Pennsylvanian, fearless, able and 
beloved by his men. The command of the division fell to Ceneral 
Sturgis. 

Soon after the darkness of night had set in, the Confederates 
made another assault upon Cox's Division, which held the left of 
the Union line, and a fierce battle raged for half an hour, when it 
ended by the repulse of the enemy. The battery was, in this action, 
exposed to a heavy musketry fire, and participated in the engage- 
ment by opening upon the woods in front and left with time shell. 
It expended about two hundred and fifty rounds of ammunition in 
this battle. 

Soon after the termination of the night assault, all the guns of 
the battery were ordered to retire down the mountain except the two 
pieces of the left section, under command of Lieutenant Mcllvain, 
who was instructed to hold the position. About midnight orders 
came to advance one piece to the picket line. The Lieutenant 
detailed Sergeant Sailor to follow him with his detachment of men 
and a gun and proceeded by the sunken road, conducted by a staff 
officer. It was necessary for the cannoneers to proceed in advance 
of the horses and pick up the dead bodies lying in the sunken road, 
and place them on either bank of the roadside, to prevent the 
bodies from being mangled by the tramp of the horses and crushed 
by the wheels of the gun-carriage. This duty of clearing the road 
of the slain was performed to a distance of about three hundred yards, 
when a turn to the left was made from the road into a field, dotted 
with the forms of the dead. Orders were given that there should 
be no speaking above a whisper and that the movements of the 
horses and gun-carriage be made as slowly and noiselessly as possible. 
LIpon reaching the assigned post the piece was unlimbered and a 
double charge of canister held in readiness at the mouth of the 
cannon to be instantly rammed home and discharged at the first 
indication of the presence of the enemy. It was a trying state of sus- 
pense to the men, and above all, distressing to hear the groans and cries 
of the wounded lying beyond the lines, calling for help to come where 
no one dare approach to their aid or rescue. The detachment was 
held in this position, possibly fifteen or twenty minutes, though it 
seemed an hour, when it was ordered to retire to its former posi- 
tion with the other detachment of its section, which command was 



76 Durrll's Battery. 

gladly received and as carefully and noiselessly obeyed as the order 
to advance had been. 

After the return from the midnight reconnoitre the men sought 
a place to sleep. But six men of the twenty-five comprising the 
two gun detachments had overcoats and blankets with them, the 
knap-acks of the other men having been taken with the caissons, 
to which they were fastened, down to the foot of the mountain. 
The night upon this elevated position was quite cold, and no fire 
was permitted, as that might expose the command to the fire of the 
enemy. So the tarpaulins were taken from the tops of the ammu- 
nition chests, spread upon the ground between the two pieces, 
and the officers and men laid down upon the ground together 
under the cover of the tarpaulins and the protection of two senti- 
nels The weary soldiers soon fell asleep, but had not been long 
under the influence of " Nature's sweet restorer," when one of 
their number, lying at the end of the covering was awakened by the 
s-udden rise of the tarpaulin, which exposed his body to the cold 
night air. The sleepy soldier, upon a second glance, recognized 
the disturber of his rest to be General .Sturgis. The general was 
no better prepared for a night's lodging than his men and wanted 
to lie down then and there. The soldier arose, prepared as good 
a bed for the division commander as his limited resources could 
supply, bade the general to He down, covered him over with the 
tarpauhn, and shivered through the remainder of the night as best 
he could. 

It was expected that the battle would be renewed at the break 
of day ; but all was cpiiet in front, not even the sound of 
an occasional shot upon the picket line being heard. The Con- 
federates had retired from the field during the night. 'I'he two 
sections which had been sent to the rear the evening before 
returned in the morning, accompanied by the baggage wagons. 
From them a good supply of black coffee, pork and hard bread 
was served to the men who had performed night duty, and were 
soon ready to join their comrades in roaming over the battlefield 
and extending a helping hand to the wounded who were still plen- 
tifully scattered over the field. 

About midday (Jenerals McClellan and Burnside came up the 
mountain road together, and were lustily cheered by the troops as 
they rode through the lines to the front. At i o'clock the battery 
advanced toward Shar])sburg and bivouacked in a corn-stubble field 
for the night. 




VIRGINIA 



MAP OF ANTIETAM BATTLEFIELD 



The Maryland C."ampaic;n — x\ntietam 77 



CHAPTER X. 

The Maryland Campaign — Antietam. 

THE enemies' shell bursting near the battery sounded the 
reveille on the morning of the i6th. The Confederates 
had opened their batteries on the Union line of battle, 
which at this point was posted upon the hills overlooking Antietam 
Creek, many of their shells over-reaching the mark and bursting 
among the troops lying in reserve. One shell burst in a line of 
infantry stationed in close proximity to the battery and killed and 
wounded a number of men. The battery was ordered to the front 
in the afternoon and took a position on the right of the Ninth 
Corps' line in the edge of the woods, on a road leading to Stone 
Bridge, No, 3, and distant about half a mile from the Barn Hos- 
pital. But it was not called upon to open its guns that day, as the 
fighting had subsided on this portion of the line and been directed 
on the Union right where (".eneral Hooker was engaging the enemy 
in force. At dusk the battery withdrew from its position and 
marched back for the night, parking its guns near the corps hos- 
pital. Here the men and horses enjoyed a night of good rest upon 
a sod field, a great improvement over the ridges of corn-stubble 
upon which they had lain the night previous. 

Soon after daylight on the 17th, the enemy opened the battle 
with a vigorous fire of artillery, filling the air with flying and burst- 
ing missiles, a number of which exploded in and near the bivouac, 
but no one was hurt. The men were engaged in the preparation of 
breakfast, which was seized from the fire and partaken of with the 
utmost despatch. Captain Durell at once shouted "Boots and 
Saddles," not waiting for the buglers to sound the call. All was 
bustle and excitement in the camp ; the men packing up, harness- 
ing and hitching the horses to the gun-carriages and eating break- 
fast, all at the same time. The battery immediately moved to the 
top of the hill in front, overlooking Antietam Creek and Sharpsburg, 
upon which the line of batteries comprising the artillery of Syke's 
Division of Regulars was posted. Taking position upon their left 
Durell's Battery opened upon the enemy's belching guns. The 
cannonading was very heavy, each side appearing to employ all the 



78 Durell's Battery. 

guns at their command, and to use them with the utmost vigor. 
The air seemed to be filled with shrieking missiles, and there was 
ocular evidence on every hand that somebody was getting hurt. 
The Confederate artillery, which, as a whole, was inferior to that 
of the Union army, was silenced in an hour. During the heaviest 
part of the battle of the '' big guns," General Hunt, chief of artil- 
lery of the Army of the Potomac, rode along the line and gave 
orders to the commanders of batteries to fire slowly and deliberately ; 
stating that rapid firing did little execution and was a waste of 
ammunition. He was a small grizzly man with an effeminate voice, 
but he was an experienced and able artillerist. It is needless to 
say that the officers and men of the battery heeded his advice and 
accompHshed better results. 

Durell's Battery engaged a Confederate battery in its imme- 
diate front and silenced it, driving the men from their guns. Durell 
then slackened the fire of his guns, upon which the men of the 
opposing battery were seen to return by ones and twos and renewed 
the fight. Again were their guns silenced and their cannoneers 
driven away. These efforts of the opposing battery to renew the 
fight were repeated several times, when finally a shot struck one of 
their caissons and blew it up, creating such havoc and demoralization 
among the Confederates that all of their number that could move 
fled from the field. It has been a much mooted question among 
the survivors of Durell's Battery, as to whom of the two gunners 
of the left section belongs the honor of firing the destructive shot, 
as the two guns were discharged about the same instant. The 
gunners were Corporal Robert Conard, of Bucks County, serving 
the third gun, and Corporal John O. Burdan, of Berks County, 
serving the fourth gun — both skillful marksmen. The evidence of 
the comrades, however, preponderates in support of the claim that 
Corporal Conard blew u\) the enemy's caisson. 

After the Confederate artillery had been silenced, the battery's 
fire was directed upon the broken and retiring ranks of the enemy, 
who were being driven back on the right by Hooker's vigorous 
attack. The battery's elevated position on the Antietam Hills 
afforded a view of the greater part of the battle-field, from which 
it was clearly seen that the enemy's lines were badly broken. They 
were falling back over a certain large, newly plowed field in great 
numbers. Into this mass of demoralized troops the battery hurled 
its ten-pound Parrott projectiles with telling effect. The distance 
was about 2640 yards or ly^ miles. While thus engaged the gun- 



The Maryland Campaign — Antietam. 79 

ners' attention was suddenly drawn to the rising of heavy clouds of 
dust above the top of the woods within the enemy's line in front, 
which proved to have been caused by the march of Jackson's troops 
from Harper's Ferry, coming up on a double-quick to reinforce 
Lee's sorely pressed left. The fire of Durell's guns was now 
directed to the vicinity of the clouds of dust, and kept up vigor- 
ously until it disappeared. A white horse, supposed to be mounted 
by a Confederate officer of high rank, appeared on a ridge in the 
distance to the right. One of Durell's gun's was aimed at the 
horse and fired, the shot taking effect. From the following story, 
related by General James Longstreet, in Leaders and Battles of the 
Civil War, it appears that General D. H. Hill was the target for 
this shot : 

" During the progress of the battle of Sharpslmrg, General Lee and I were 
riding along my line and I). H. Hill's, when we received a report of move- 
ments of the enemy and started up the ridge to make a reconnoissance. Gen- 
eral Lee and I dismounted, hut Hill declined to do so. I said to Hill, ' If you 
insist on riding up there and drawing the fire, give us a little interval so that we 
may not be in the line of the fire, when they open upon you.' General Lee 
and I stood on the tup of tlie crest with our glasses, looking at the movements 
of the Federals on the rear left. After a moment 1 turncil my glass to the 
right — the Federal left. As I did so, I noticed a puff of white smoke from 
the mouth of a cannon. ' There is a shot for you," I said to General Hill. 
The gunner was a mile away, and the cannon shot came whisking through the 
air for three or four seconds and took off the front legs of the horse that Hill 
sat on and let the animal down upon his stumps. The horse's head was so 
low and his croup so high that Hill was in a most ludicrous jiosition. With 
one foot in the stirrup he made several efforts to get the other leg over the 
croup but failed. Fnially we prevailed upon him to try the other end of the 
horse, and he got down. He had a third horse shot under him before the 
close of the battle. That shot at Hill was the second best shot I ever saw. 
The best was at \'orktown. There a Federal officer came out in front of our 
line, and sitting down to his little platting-table began to make a maji. One of 
our officers carefully sighted a gun, touched it off, and dropped a shell into the 
hands of the man at the little table."' 

Soon after the centre section, under command of Lieutenant 
George W. Silvis, was ordered to the left to support the infantry of 
the brigade, which was engaged in a fierce fight for the possession 
of the bridge. The cannoneers had just completed the work of 
replenishing the ammunition cliests with projectiles when the order 
was received. Moving down the slope, the section passed through 
the orchard adjoining a farm house near the bridge and along the 
west side of the road to within thirty yards below the end of the 
south turn of the road, from which point it was assisted up the 



8o Durell's Battery. 

steep rise through a fringe of woods by as many infantrymen from 
the column in the road as could get hold of horses, harness and 
carriage. Having gained the crest of the hill, it advanced into an 
open field a short distance, and went into battery for the purpose 
of shelling the enemy who occupied stone walls and trees upon the 
bluffs on the opposite side of the stream. Immediately the section 
was subjected to a close and rapid fire from an unseen battery on 
its right flank, distant some 600 or 800 yards. The smoke of the 
enemy's guns was hidden from view by the woods on the opposite 
side of the stream. 

But Hartranft's command had carried the bridge and the rear 
of the 51st New York, which was in close support of the 51st Penn- 
sylvania Regiment, was crossing when the section came into posi- 
tion. Lieutenant Silvis was therefore ordered not to fire, but to 
hold his command in readiness to follow the infantry across the 
bridge. 

" The bridge is a stone structure of several arches. The valley in which 
the stream runs is quite narrow, the steep slope on the right bank approaching 
to the water's edge. In this slope the roadway is scarped, running both ways 
from the bridge and passing to the higher land above by ascending through 
ravines. On the hillside immediately above the bridge was a strong stone fence 
running parallel to the stream ; the turns of the roadway were covered with rifle 
pits and breastworks made of rails and stone, all of which defences, as well as 
the woods which covered the slope, were filled with the enemy's infantry and 
sharpshooters. Besides the infantry defences, batteries were placed to enfilade 
the bridge and all of its approaches." — General Cox''s Official Report. 

" Against this position, strong by nature, rendered doubly strong by art, tlie 
Ilth Connecticut and Crook's Brigade, supported by Sturgis' Division, were 
ordered to the assault. As this force advanced up the open valley, by the road 
which leads along the river bank to the bridge, it was exposed to so warm a fire 
from the opposite heights, alive with the enemy, that it was forced to halt and 
reply. Sturgis' troops reached the head of the bridge, and the 2nd Maryland 
and the 6lh New Hampshire charged at double-c[uick with fixed bayonets ; but 
the concentrated fire of the enemy upon ihem forced them to fall back. After 
repeated efforts these regiments were withdrawn. 

" Burnside, nettled at the failure of this attempt, and the conseciuent delay 
of his columns, and knowing full well in w lioni he could trust, ordered forward 
the 51st. Ccneral Ferrero dashing uj) to the ri'giment, said: 'Ceneral Burn- 
side orders the 51SI Pennsylvania to storm the bridge.' Colonel Hartranft, 
avoiding the road by the river bank, led his men in the rear of the heights over- 
looking the river, until he arrived opposite the bridge, when he moved slowly 
down the slope for the crossing. The instant his men came into the open 
ground in the valley they received a withering fire from the enemy's well-posted 
infantry, and many fell. A fence skirting the road proved a serious impedi- 
ment, and in crossing it the men were particularly exposed. Here fell Captains 



Thf, Maryland Campai(;n — Antietam. 8i 

Bolton and Hart, severely wounded, a serious loss at this juncture. Unheed- 
ing the enemy's bullets or the obstructions in the way the column pressed for- 
ward with a determined front and made straight for the bridge. As they 
entered a storm of missiles swept it ; but no danger could stay the tide of living 
valor. Hartranft, who led the way, paused in the midst and was hastening on 
the rear of his column, when he was joined by Colonel Potter, with the gallant 
51st New York. With a shout that rang out above the noise of battle, the 
two columns rushed forward and were soon firmly established on the thither 
bank. The bridge was carried." — Bates' Ilisfory Pa. I'o/s. 

A regiment was quickly advanced and took position on the 
heights commanding the bridge and its approaches, driving out the 
enemy and rendering the crossing for infantry secure. The remain- 
ing regiments of the Second Brigade then crossed, followed by the 
centre section of Durell's Battery which was the first artillery to 
to cross the bridge. 

On reaching the south side of the stream, Lieutenant Silvis 
proceeded with the section up the road toward Sharpsburg. Two 
courses led from the bridge ; the one turning to the right leading 
for a short distance along the stream and then running over the 
hills to the town ; the other, a private road to the left, bending 
away from the stream a short distance below the bridge and wind- 
ing through a basin to a farm house a short distance above. The 
section took the former course and proceeded up the road to the 
foot of a steep hill, the crest of which was round, hard and smooth, 
upon which it was impossible to hold a gun without chocks, and 
from which it would recjil to the bottom if discharged. 

The section w'as now in advance of all other troops. The 
road scarped at every point in view, from four to five feet uj^ward, 
so that it was impossible to get out of it on either side. It was the 
opinion of the lieutenant and his sergeants that if the enemy 
advanced over the crest they would be destroyed before a useful 
shot could be fired from the guns. No doubt Lieutenant Silvis 
performed a meritorious service at this juncture, when he com- 
manded the guns to be unlimbered, reversed, limbered up, and 
marched back. The road was so narrow, that in executing this 
movement the cannoneers were obHged to run one wheel of each 
gun-carriage up the sloping bank of the roadside to enable the 
limbers to pass. 

As Lieutenant Silvis, riding in his place in advance of his guns_ 
approached the bridge, he was joined by Captain RavoUe, division 
chief of artillery, and, without halting, the section passed along 
the road leading off to the left from the bridge, entered the first 



82 Durell's Battery. 

field to the right and halted below the crest of the ridge. Here 
the section was again without infantry support. All was quiet ; no 
enemy was in sight ; but they were supposed to be posted beyond 
the crest. 

Captain RavoUe and Lieutenant Silvis crept along a fence near 
by, to the high ground, part of the way on hands and feet, crouch- 
ing quite low. Corporals Carver and Buckman also went forward 
to reconnoitre the enemy's position. Crawhng to the crest of the 
ridge and taking a view of the front, they returned and reported 
that the command was in a fair way of being captured, should the 
enemy advance before infantry support arrived. After the officers 
had taken a look over the ground in their front, they returned, 
and Captain Ravolle ordered the guns to be unlimbered ; quietly 
gave the gunners the elevation and time, remarking, " Their guns 
are up there. ^Ve will load, run the guns by hand to the front 
and give them the first shot, anyway." 

But, on second thought, he concluded that it would not be 
prudent to open fire at that time, as it would prematurely disclose 
the position of the section to no good purpose and interfere with 
the quiet formation of the line of battle along the lower crest in 
the fields to the left. The infantry was then forming in line of 
battle along the slope several hundred yards in the rear, and soon 
advanced. A skirmisher or sharpshooter attempted to reach a log 
lying in the plowed field beyond the fence, close to the one tree 
in it. He had not advanced more than twenty yards before the 
enemy's bullets began to strike about him, disclosing the enemy's 
pro.ximity and opening another stage of the battle. 

Late in the forenoon. Captain Durell. with the other four 
guns of his battery, moved to the bridge and followed the infantry 
of the division across to the other side. Coming up to the centre 
section, the whole battery moved forward and took position upon 
next to the uppermost range of hills above the valley, ahiiost in 
sight of Sharpsburg, and to the right of a large cornfield, wheeling 
" into battery " under a heavy fire of the enemy's artillery It 
was soon hotly engaged with a battery in its front, being at the 
same time exposed to a shower of bullets from the enemy's infantry 
under cover of a stone wall in front and the cornfield on the left. 
The enemy's battery opposing in front was about 900 yards distant, 
and was soon silenced. Hut there were other Confederate batter- 
ies that bore down on Durell, to which he replied until the one in 
front had the temerity to again open, when it would again claim 
his attention and again be silenced. 



The Maryland Campaign — Antietam. 83 

Soon after taking this position, Captain Clark's Battery E, 
4th U. S. Artillery, came to the support and alligned its guns with 
Durell's. Captain Clark and one of his lieutenants were struck 
down while getting their guns into position. When Clark's Battery 
got into action the enemy's fire grew weaker. At about 3 o'clock, 
Hawkins' Zouaves (9th New York,) marched forward and charged 
upon the battery in front and captured it in gallant style. The 
Zouaves were able to hold it but a few minutes, being forced back 
to the main line of battle in a badly shattered condition. The field 
was thickly dotted with red trousers, showing the heavy loss of the 
Zouaves. The regiment was not supported in the charge, which 
was afterward said to have been made without authority, or through 
a misunderstanding of orders. 

The enemy clung to its recaptured battery with the utmost 
tenacity. Durell plunged percussion and time shells into it, silenc- 
ing the guns, but it again opened fire. Finally Durell succeeded 
in putting a shot through the length of a detachment, dismounting 
a gun and inflicting so much damage that was effectually silenced. 
Soon after, his battery's projectiles became exhausted and it was 
ordered back, the general commanding not deeming it advisable to 
allow the caissons to cross the bridge tobringup a supply of ammu- 
nition. 

This was the hardest fought action and was carried on at the 
shortest range of any in which the battery had been engaged. Its 
casualties were two men severely wounded, and the loss of eleven 
horses. Some of the latter were shot and several dropped in the 
harness from exhaustion and had to be left on the field. I'he 
wounded men were Isaiah J. Sellers, of Doylestown, who was 
shot through the body by a ball from a case-shot, which exploded 
in front of the battery, the ball passing through one of his lungs ; 
and John C. Sherwood, of Morr'sville, Bucks County, who was 
struck by a ball from the same explosive which passed through the 
calf of his leg. They were immediately carried back by ambulance 
to the Barn Hospital. Sherwood died a few months afterward in 
a hospital, and Sellers miraculously recovered after long and care- 
ful treatment, and is, at this time, still living and able to work, 
though at times he still suffers from the wound. 

The battery retired over the bridge and rejoined the caissons 
which had been left in the vicinity of the bivouac of the night pre- 
vious, where it again parked its guns about sundown. The 18th 
was spent at this place, no incident of note occurring. This gave 



84 Durell's Battery. 

men and horses much needed rest. All was quiet along the lines 
now with the exception of slight cannonading in the morning and 
some skirmishing of the infantry. 

The reveille was sounded early on the morning of the 19th. 
It was ascertained that the Confederate army had recrossed the 
Potomac into Virginia during the preceding night. The battery 
did not receive orders to move until about 11 o'clock, when it 
again advanced over the bridge, crossing that portion of the battle- 
field which was the scene of its part in the action, to the outskirts 
of Sharpsburg. At the point where the pugnacious Confederate 
battery had stood, there was plentiful evidence of the punishment 
it had received scattered over the field. Nine dead horses, broken 
carriage, wheels, handspikes, artillery harness, etc., testified to the 
terrible fire it had undergone in its efforts to hold the position, but from 
which Durell's guns had driven it. The Confederate dead had all 
been removed or buried before the retreat of the night before, but 
there still remained unburied a large number of the Union dead. 
The march was continued for a distance of about four miles, when 
the left section was detailed to take a position with Clark's Battery 
near the mouth of Antietam Creek, and the other two sections 
were posted at a point on the Potomac River one mile distant. 




Camping in Maryland. 85 



CHAPTER XI. 

Camping in Maryland. 

ON September 20th, the sound of brisk cannonading came 
from the direction of Shepherdstown, but the battery was 
not called out, and the men were left undisturbed in the 
work of cooking, bathing in the Potomac and washing their 
clothes. ScYeral balloon ascensions were made to ascertain the 
the movements of the enemy. The pleasant camp of the left sec- 
tion, located upon splendid green sward, with large trees to pro- 
vide a grateful shade from the hot sun, was undisturbed until the 
23rd, when it was ordered early in the morning to pack up and 
prepare to move. No marching orders came, however. The 
orders had been issued in preparation to meet the movements of 
a large column of Confederates, which the Signal Corps had 
reported to be in the vicinity. 

On the 24th, Orderly Sergeant William P. Andrews left for 
home on sick leave, which was quite an event, as but few furloughs 
had been granted to members of the battery. Nearly all the men 
were desirous of obtaining one. On the following day the left 
section joined the other guns of the battery, and orders were 
issued in the afternoon to be in readiness to move at a moment's 
notice. 

On the 26th the battery moved across Antietam Creek and 
encamped near the Isabella Furnace, located at the mouth of the 
stream. Here, it is said, in the year 1732, a terrible battle was 
fought between the Catawbas and Delawares, which resulted in 
the entire extermination of the Delaware Indians. The guns were 
placed "in battery," and the infantry encamped in line of battle. 
The camps were ordered to be put in proper trim, and drills, 
dress parades and inspections were resumed. A number of civil- 
ian friends and relatives of the men from Berks and Bucks Coun- 
ties visited the camp at this time, among others being D. Wyn- 
koop McNair from Bucks, who succeeded in obtaining a thirty- 
days' furlough for his son William, who had been laid up with 
sickness since the battle of Antietam, and took him home. 



86 Durell's Battery. 

On October 3rd, the Ninth Army Corps was reviewed by 
President Lincohi and General McClellan. The battery appeared , 
through some misunderstanding, on foot, and was sent back to 
camp for the horses and guns. The troops received the President 
with cheers along the whole line. On the 6th a supply of new 
horses was received to fill the gap caused by the losses in the 
recent campaign. On the following day the corps moved over into 
Pleasant Valley, the battery taking a rough road through the 
mountain gap, while the infantry crossed the mountain by a differ- 
ent road. The valley afforded a beautiful location for a camp. 
The whole corps was concentrated in it. The men of the battery 
proceeded to fix up their quarters as though they expected to 
remain a long time. 'I'hey were constructed to meet rough autumn 
weather which would soon be due. The heavy tarpaulins which 
had been used during the previous winter to cover the gun-car- 
riages and harness, were now employed as roofs. One of these 
tents with the ends and sides boarded up, made very comfortable 
(luarters. The dimensions were about twelve feet in length, ten 
feet wide and eight feet high to the peak of the roof. Twelve 
comrades occupied the tent. It was the most imposing and 
elaborately appointed structure in the camp, and was termed by 
the rtst of the battery as "Bucks County Headquarters," all of 
its occupants coming from that county. They were a picked 
scjuad of young men who elected to mess together when the Sibley 
tents were issued the winter previous, and had kept the mess 
unbroken. They were : I. Carey Carver, George Ross Carver, 
William S. McNair, Stewart McAleese, Charles MacCorkle, George 
Douglass, John Beatty Price, James S. Rich, Mahlon B. Buckman, 
Robert Conard, Joseph M. Cuffel and Charles A. Cuffel. 

Drills, inspections and reviews were now of almost daily 
occurrence, and the time not taken up with these duties, was 
passed by the men in reading, cooking, etc. Apples were plenti- 
ful in the surrounding country, and a gnawing appetite for apple 
dumphngs seemed to have become epidemic in the camp. Flour 
was obtained from a mill close by, white sugar was purchased from 
the commissary at eleven cents per pound, on an order from the 
officers, and condensed milk was procured from the sutler, which, 
highly diluted with water, were the essentials for making these camp 
dumplings. So general had become the practice of foraging into 
the neighboring country, that cavalry patrols were established in 
every direction, and any poor soldier who was caught by them 




GENERAL EDWARD FERRERO 



Camping in Maryland. 87 

without a pass, was sent to Harper's Ferry to fell trees and work 
on the trenches for punishment. Orders were issued on the 12th 
allowing passes for not more than six men each day to the battery. 

General Ferrero was now placed in command of the Second 
Brigade, having been promoted from the colonelcy of the 51st 
New York. The greater number of the officers and men of the 
brigade were of the opinion that Colonel Hartranft should have 
received the promotion, and been placed in command of the brig- 
ade for conspicuous gallantry in storming and carrying Antietam 
bridge. But favoritism outweighed merit in this case. Ferrero had 
been dancing master at West Point, where he had taught General 
McClellan and other regular officers the art. He secured his pro- 
motion upon their recommendation over the meritorious Hartranft. 
On the first Sunday after his elevation, he made a critical inspec- 
tion of the battery, dressed in a new uniform, the bright silver star 
of his rank flashing in the light from each shoulder. He compli- 
mented Captain Durell upon his " men all appearing so stout and 
hearty," to which the captain replied, " They all came from the 
country." The 128th Pennsylvania, Colonel Samuel Croasdale's 
nine-month regiment from Bucks County, were encamped upon 
Maryland Heights, and were visited by the Bucks County portion 
of the battery as the men were able to procure passes. 

Captain Clark's Battery of Regulars, of the First Brigade, was 
detailed, on the 15th, to make a reconnoissance into Virginia. It 
returned after an absence of three days. The enemy had been 
encountered at Charlestown, where the regulars were roughly 
handled, suffering the loss of one man killed, four wounded and 
one gun dismounted. 

On the i6th, Heston cS: Cox, of Doylestown, drove into camp 
with an express wagon loaded with sutler's goods, and expressed a 
desire to make their headciuarters with the battery and serve it 
regularly with sutler's stores ; but departed the next day and never 
returned. 

First Sergeant Wm. P. Andrews returned from his furlough on 
the 17th, accompanied by Jesse Bissey, of Doylestown township, 
who came to visit his son, Gilbert, a member of the battery. 

A cold rain-storm had set in and tested the best prepared 
quarters to keep the men comfortable. The 21st was an esj^eci- 
ally cold and blustry day, the men being unable to keep warm ; 
and the horses, tied to the picket rope in the open air, shivered 
in the chill winds. They were given exercise by riding them on a 



88 Durell's Battery. 

trot, to get their blood into circulation. The cold and dismal 
weather had passed on the 23rd, and the battery was inspected by 
General Barry, chief of artillery, who said that it was in better con- 
dition than any other he had seen, considering the service it had 
passed through. He promised that new clothes should soon be 
furnished to the men. Captain Durell, who had been at his home 
in Reading on leave of absence for a few weeks, returned to his 
command on the same day. 

The quarters were now quite comfortable throughout the camp 
and the men were flattering themselves that General McClellan 
would permit them to remain there until spring. Speculation and 
rumors of coming events were rife. There were predictions that a 
big battle would be fought at Winchester before winter set in, and 
that the army would advance within forty-eight hours. It was said 
that Halleck would take command in the West, that Hooker would 
succeed McClellan in command of the Army of the Potomac, and 
that Burnsidewas fitting out an expedition for some Southern port. 
'I"he 24th was a cold and blustry day, which kept the men close to 
the camp-fires, where they passed the time in cooking and " spin- 
ning yarns. " Orders were received the next day to prepare to 
move. The following is quoted from Sergeant Andrew's letter of 
October 25 th : 

" Received some new clothing. The battery share was 45 pairs of trous- 
ers, 49 caps, ij pairs of shoes and 120 shirts; in no instance one-third the 
quantity required. Everything has been bustle and confusion all day. Ord- 
nance teams have been on the go since daylight ; old guns are being turned in 
and new ones issued, f )ur means of transportation have been considerably 
curtailed, being compelled to turn into the ordnance department three of our 
wagons. In so doing, we took all the worst horses we had in the battery and 
harnessed them into the lost wagons, taking the good horses from the teams and 
placing them at the picket ropes. Received orders to throw away all unneces- 
sary plunder witli which the knapsacks are filled. The men are continually 
contriving something in the eating line. Everything that the country affords 
finds its way into the pan even to the paw-paws, which the men fry and devour. 
Mush is all the rage now. The meal is obtained by rubbing the ear of corn on 
a canteen. The canteens are split in half and then punched full of holes. By 
rubbing the ear on the roughened side, meal is made very fast. The cakes that 
are made are very palatable. \'ou can hear the mills at work all over the camp. 
The patrols march all stragglers to General McClellan, who orders them to work 
on the fortifications at the ferry. We have two men there at work ; their term 
of service is thirty days. Among the crowd can be seen oft'icers, from a colonel 
down. ( )ur boys saw a colonel on water committee, carrying water Irom the 
foot of the mountain." 



Camping in Maryland. 89 

The encampment in Pleasant A^alley was a very pleasant and 
helpful one to the men of the battery — pleasant because of its 
delightful and healthful location, and the facilities afforded to pro- 
cure fruit and other delicacies to furnish a change in the regular 
army fare, and helpful in affording time for rest and for refitting 
the troops with needed clothing for the coming colder weather, 
and the facilities afforded to friends at home to visit the camps. 
A large number of citizens availed themselves of this oj^portunity, 
and there were but few days while the battery remained in Pleas- 
ant Valley that there were not one or more citizens from home 
sojourning in the camp as the guests of some member of the 
battery. 

Furloughs were also granted to several nien to go home. 
This was a prize eagerly sought by the majorit}' of the command, 
but was given only to those deemed most worthy by the officers to 
receive them. lUit those who were fortunate enough to obtain 
one returned to the battery at the alloted time, apparently pleased 
to be back at their post of duty, which acted as an ointment to 
soothe the disappointed spirits of those who were not successful 
in obtaining a furlough. 

William Clouser, who enlisted from Berks County, and served 
in the right section of the battery, died on the 24th in camp. 
His health began to fail shortly after his enlistment, but he stuck 
to his duty heroically, declining to relinquish his post until com- 
pelled to do so from sheer weakness. He had returned from home 
a few days before, whither he had gone on sick leave, considerably 
improved in health and strength, but a relapse caused by expos- 
ure to foul wheather suddenly prostrated him and called him hence. 
His comrades performed the solemn duty of burying the hero just 
before breaking camp to cross into Virginia. 



go Durell's Batierv. 



CHAPTER Xri. 
PuRSUixr; the Enemy. 

ORDERS were issued on the morning of the 25th to be in 
readiness to move at 5 o'clock the next morning, but a 
heavy wind and rain storm had set in, which probably caused 
the general commanding to doubt the advisabilit\- of attempting 
to cross the river, for ihe order was countermanded in the evening. 
The weather was still cold and stormy on the morning of the 27th, but 
the skies cleared toward noon, when the whole corps broke camp 
and started off on the march. The line of march led over hills and 
muddy roads to the Potomac. A high, cold wind still prevailed. 
AVhenever a halt of the column was made, the men gathered a few 
fence rails and built fires around which they gathered and toasted 
their bodies until the column moved forward. The camp of the 
Sth Pennsylvania Cavalry, to which Ca])tain Craven's Bucks County 
company was attached, was passed, and old acquaintances given a 
passing greeting. Reaching the river, the column proceeded down 
to Hanover. Here the infantry followed the tow-path of the canal, 
and the artillery and baggage trains took a diverging road to P.er- 
hn, where the river was crossed upon a pontoon bridge. The 
scenery along that portion of the Potomac is quite picturescpie 
— the river, the railroad, the canal and the wagon road, all run- 
ning parallel with the high bluffs and jutting rocks on either side of 
the stream. The pontoon bridge was about one-fourth of a mile 
in length, and was laid near the wagon bridge that was destroyed 
soon after the opening of hostilities. Of the latter nothing now re- 
mained l)ut the stone piers, projecting above the water. Night drew 
a gloomy veil over the scene before the battery reached the bridge 
and crossed once more to the "sacred soil" of Virginia, encamp- 
ing near Lovettsville, where it remained all of the next day. 

On the afternoon of the 29th a short march was made passing 
through Lovettsville and Bolington. Reveille was sounded at 4 
o'clock the next morning. The march was resumed at 7 and 
proceeded down the turnpike. The mountains, which were in full 
view, presented a grand spectacle, clothed in their many-colored 



Pursuing the Enemy. 91 

garments of October foliage. About noon the troops went into 
camp at Wheatland. 

On the morning of the 31st, the battery was inspected and 
mustered for pay by Lieutenant Dickinson, of Battery E, U. S. A. 
Four month's pay was due. The inspector spent but little time in 
looking over matters, and appeared to be very well pleased with 
everything. He was especially gratified at the appearance of the 
horses. To the men in the army they looked very well, but to a 
Berks or Bucks County farmer, they would have been considered 
eligible candidates for the nearest tannery. The " Marine fever" 
that had once before afflicted the command, again broke out 
among the men, they having learned that they could enter that 
service. Twenty-one tried to enhst. Fortunately for the com- 
pany only a fair proportion could be taken from each battery. The 
Berks and Bucks County men on the list were about equal in num- 
ber, but no recruits were taken from the command. WiUiam S. 
McNair returned to camp on the 31st from his furlough, having 
traveled from Harper's Ferry in the brigade teams. 

November opened with delightful weather — something like 
Indian Summer. The command remained in camp all day of the 
ist, though columns of troops were passing on to the front, among 
others, King's Division of McDowell's Corps, to which the battery 
had been attached early in the service. Early on the morning of 
the 2nd the march was resumed. The sound of cannonading was 
heard from the front nearly all day. In the evening the com- 
mand went into camp at Union Mills. The left section was as- 
signed to duty with Clark's Battery of Regulars. The march was 
resumed the nex^ afternoon, passing through Bloomfield, and the 
battery encamped after dark in a woods not far from Ashby'sGap. 
The march on the 4th took the command to Upperville, about 
mid-day, where a stop was made. Here Generals McClellan and 
Rurnside rode by. The ist New Hampshire Battery, of McDow- 
ell's Corps, old friends, were encamped near, and visits were 
exchanged by the men. Their captain, who had been taken 
prisoner, had rejoined his battery. 

The bugle sounded the reveille before daylight on November 
5th, and a march was made over very rough country to Piedmont. 
The morning was pleasant, but the weather turned cold and 
blustry in the afternoon. Cannonading was again heard in the 
distance. The command was called up early the next morning, 
but did not move until noon. It marched on until late in the 



92 Durkll's Battery. 

night and bivouacked near Orleans. The weather was cold, and 
the men quickly built fires and laid down around them to sleep. 

The morning of the 7th was ushered in with a snow storm. 
The usual marching orders not appearing to be forthcoming, the 
men pitched tents, and made themselves as comfortable as they 
could. The snow was accompanied by a high wind, and made the 
day a very cheerless one. The men were poorly clothed, the 
shoes of many of them being so worn that the toes were exposed. 
About 4 o'clock came marching orders, and off the battery 
plodded through the darkness and snow. The brigade took the 
wrong road, unfortunately, and marched about two miles out of 
the right course. Toward morning, when the proper place was 
reached, the battery turned into a field, and in a few minutes all 
the fences were torn down and fires made of the material. Many 
of the men, tired and cold, spread their blankets upon the snow, 
which was about two inches in depth, and slept, while others dozed 
in a sitting posture around the camp fires. Soon after daylight the 
battery proceeded about a mile and encamped upon a high hill in 
the edge of a woods, near Waterloo. The quarters were made as 
comfortable as possible, for the weather was cold, and the supplies 
running short, foraging parties were sent out after food for the 
men. The battery did not leave this camp until the evening of 
the 9th, when it crossed the Rappahannock River at Glen Mills 
and was placed upon the picket line, near Amissville. The follow- 
ing is a (juotation from Sergeant Andrew's journal : 

jVoveinbej- loth. — " At Amissville, Left our camp yesterday at 4 o'clock 
P. M. We moved on a short distance and were compelled to wait for Romer's 
Battery to come out. They were not harnessed as yet and were to precede us. 
The men improved the time by scouring the deserted camps of the infantry in 
search of old shoes. .Some of them were well rewarded for their trouble. 
Times are pretty hard with us when the men hunt up old clothing to wear. We 
struck toward the Rappahannock, which we crossed at a village called ' Cilenn's 
Mills.' The village consists of a large cotton mill, with its necessary outbuild- 
ings and storehouses, and some three or four other storehouses, occupied by the 
operatives of the mills. The mills appeared to be in running order, and possibly 
had been at work that day, judging from the appearance of the inhabitants. Rut 
two or three men were to be seen, but plenty of women. In one house there 
were some fifteen or twenty of them. One pretty fair looking damsel was 
standing in a door combing her hair ; whether hunting for ' cavalry ' or fixing 
for her beau, I cannot say. The road was very bad on both sides of the river, 
which is a small affair here. It is called 'Hedgeman (reek ' where we crossed. 
There are a number of small creeks about here that are called the head waters 
of the Rappahannock. By crossing the fields we soon came on the turnpike 
that leads from Alexandria towards little Washington and Sperryville, We fol- 




MAJOR-GENERAL A. E. BURNSIDE 



Pursuing the Enemy. 93 

owed the road and came to a halt about 8 o'clock, near the village of Amiss- 
ville. Romer's Battery left us a couple of miles back and went to Jeffersonville, 
which is towards Culpepper. At Amissville we met two regiments of our 
brigade on the back track. They had been out here on picket duty, supporting 
Pleasanton's Cavalry, which had been driven in during the morning. The 
cavalry had driven the rebels from here on Saturday. Our brigade is at Jeffer- 
son. The First Brigade, with which we traveled yesterday, came out to relieve 
the others. The men complained very much at being routed out of their 
quarters at night. The village is stretched out for some distance down the pike. 
It is a town of twenty-five or thirty houses. Near by is a very neat frame 
church. Heard some pretty heavy cannonading this morning over towards our 
left, and orders came to be ready to move immediately, and to leave everything 
behind. 

A'oz'e/iiber nth. — "The rebels early yesterday morning made an attack in 
force on our cavalry, driving them a short distance. Soon after the tiring com- 
menced, the cavalry teams were seen coming in on double quick. This made 
considerable stir among our teamsters. The brigade was ordered out and soon 
returned on quick step. The teams were ordered out by Captain Ravolle, the 
adjutant general, and we were not given time to load up anything. The baggage 
was ordered to fall back toward Waterloo. They construed the order literally, 
and fell back beyond Waterloo. We went with the teams seven miles back. 
The firing was confined almost exclusively to the cavalry, who had a number of 
hand-to-hand fights during the day. There was a pretty good show for a regular 
Bull Run skedaddle when the teams first started off. But matters soon cooled 
down, and all went off well enough. We now hold our own ground and do not 
know where the rebels are. The teams were all ordered back last night ; ours 
came in about 3 o'clock. Our battery is divided — one section being on our old 
camping ground, the other two being in the village. The latter sections are in 
no danger of starving, having killed two heifers and one pig this morning. Had 
a very heavy frost last night, almost equal to a small snow. The people of this 
village, when they saw the troops coming back yesterday morning, showed their 
secesh feelings by waving their handkerchiefs and hurrahing. Women and 
children all seemed rejoiced. The men being scarce, I did not witness any 
demonstration on their part." 

The morning of the loth opened with beautiful and mild Novem- 
ber weather. The men were generally engaged in washing their 
clothes, when brisk cannonading was heard from the front. The 
sound came gradually nearer, and soon the battery was placed in 
readiness for an attack. It was then ordered to advance with the 
brigade toward the fight, with instructions to leave tents and knap- 
sacks with the baggage wagons, on the camp ground. Proceeding 
about half a mile, the baggage wagon's of Pleasanton's Cavalry were 
met, coming in froiB the front, with the mules on a run. It was 
soon ascertained that a large force of Confederate cavalry had 
forced Pleasanton back, and orders were given to retire the brigade 
to Amissville, where the battery took position for action, while the 



94 Durell's Battery. 

baggage trains went thundering down the turnpike toward Waterloo. 
There was a prospect, for a short time, of a veritable Waterloo, but 
Pleasanton succeeded in checking the enemy, until assistance from 
the infantry arrived when they were in turn driven back. The 
Union cavalry were distinctly seen fighting the enemy, but the 
battery was not called upon to take part in the fight. Everything 
in camp had been ordered to be loaded upon the wagons, but the 
men in charge of them became excited, and left nearly all the 
knapsacks and tents behind. They were afterward recovered by 
the batterymen while awaiting the advance of the enemy. 

The nth was passed quietly in camp, though occasional 
reports of cannonading were heard in the distance. The men were 
principally occupied in cooking their plunder. It was a good 
country for foraging, and fresh pork, veal and chicken formed part 
of the menu of the men's fare for several days. Guards were posted 
upon private property, but squads of foragers would start out on a 
raid as soon as a halt was made, and carry off their plunder before 
the guards could be posted. Among other articles highly prized 
was leaf tobacco, which was dubbed " Rappahannock." Rolled 
up after a manner into cigars, it furnished a villainously strong 
smoke. 

At daylight on the 12th the command returned to Waterloo, 
encamping about half a mile from a former camp ground at this 
place. The tents were put up and preparations made for a com- 
fortable rest, but near nightfall the march was resumed over muddy 
roads to a point near the spot at White Sulphur Spring, upon which 
the battery had encamped the summer before, during Pope's retreat. 
General McClellan was now superseded by General Burnside, who 
had been commander of the Ninth Corps, the command of which 
was given to General Wilcox. The battery remained in camp 
during the next two days. On the evening of the 13th there was 
some exchange of shots with the enemy's artillery on the opi)Osite 
bank of the Rappahannock, in which Clark's Battery took part, 
and one section of Durell's Battery was ordered to be in readiness 
to join them. The horses were hitched up, and the section stood 
in camp for some time, but it was finally dismissed. The Confed- 
erates had made a dash upon the Union picket line and captured 
the colonel and major of the nth New Hampshire Regiment. 
The men had been without their regular rations of " hard tack " 
for two days, but the supply trains arrived on the evening of the 
13th, and each man received a ration of ten crackers. 



Artillery Duel at Sulphur Springs. 95 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Artillery Duel at Sulphur Springs. 

T~y EVEILLE sounded at 5 o'clock on the 15th, and about 7 
X\ the command was on the march again, passing through the 
village and by the burnt bridge which had spanned the 
Rappahannock, where a turn was made up the hills from the river. 
This was the bridge which the Union soldiers had such a hard 
time setting on fire on Pope's retreat. Ascending the hill the 
enemy's cavalry appeared upon the opposite side of the river, emerg- 
ing from the woods in squads. A small body of Union cavalry on 
duty near the ruined bridge, forded the stream and advancing toward 
them engaged in a skirmish with them. A few moments later the 
enemy's artillery opened upon the division wagon train, which was 
bringing up the rear of the column, and threatened to capture or 
destroy it. A staff officer rode up to Captain Durell with orders 
to return a section of his guns to the river hill and engage the 
enemy's artillery. The left section, Lieutenant Howard Mcllvain 
commanding was sent on this duty. Posting his guns in a peach 
orchard on the top of the hill, he opened upon the opposing 
battery. The Confederate cavalry made a charge down to the 
river, and were about to ford the stream, when the 35th Massa- 
chusetts Infantry, which was lying in wait for them, poured a vol- 
ley into the advancing horsemen, which sent them whirling back. 
Six empty saddles were counted. The Confederates served their 
guns unusually well, delivering effective shots among the wagons, 
which greatly demoralized the teamsters. The wagon-master 
turned back his wagons that had not reached the exposed part of 
the road, as soon as the fight began, and ordered them to join the 
division by another route. 

The battery paid no attention to the Union guns, so long as 
the wagons were in view, but after the last had passed out of sight, 
Mcllvain' s guns received the undivided attention of the Confed- 
erate gunners. Unfortunately the Union ammunition proved to 
be defective, many of the shells exploding before reaching the river. 
Only an occasional shot carried near to the mark. This unequal 
contest was kept up for more than an hour before support was 



96 DuRELi/s Battery. 

received from the other four guns of the battery, which took posi- 
tion on the opposite side of the road. Their ammunition was 
also poor. The enemy's guns still continued to pound the left 
section, their shells bursting all around. A sohd shot from a 
twenty-pound gun struck the gallant Mcllvain, taking off his right 
arm and inflicting a terrible wound in his side. He had just 
encouraged his men with the words: "Stick to your guns, boys! 
Watch that smoke." It was the smoke from the gun that sent the 
fatal shot. He wanted his gunners to aim their pieces at it. He 
was carried back in rear of the limbers ; but he requested the men 
to return to their guns and let him lie there. Shortly after a shot 
struck Henry B. Ives, one of the detatched men from Wads- 
worth's Brigade, driver of the lead team of the fourth piece, and 
shattered his right arm. He was immediately cared for. A sur- 
geon amputated the hmb on the field. The projectiles for the 
left section being exhausted, it retired to the caissons for a fresh 
supply, and later returned to the fight. The battery expended in 
this engagement over 300 rounds of ammunition. In the mean- 
time Benjamin's Battery of twenty-pound Parrott guns came up and 
the Confederates were soon silenced. Besides the casualties above 
mentioned, private Amos Antrim from Berks County, received a 
contusion of the face from a piece of shell. 

Lieutenant Mcllvain bore his suffering with marvellous forti- 
tude until about 8 o'clock in the evening when he passed away 
into the sleep which knows no waking. He died the death of a 
hero, bravely fighting for his country, like the soldier that he was. 
The entire command, officers and men, lamented his death, and 
regarded it as an irreparable loss. He was beloved by the whole 
battery, and especially by the men of his own section. The cap- 
tain keenly felt the loss of his right-hand and trusty lieutenant, the 
one to whom he always turned when an important duty was to be 
performed. Whenever a responsible or dangerous task was to be 
executed, Mcllvain was called to lead. He did not appear to know 
fear ; but was as cool and collected in the thick of the fight as 
when calmly sleeping under the white canopy of his tent. He was 
kind and just to his men, and would have resented an act of in- 
justice to any one of them, no matter if it was imposed by the 
general commanding. He was capable of manceuvering and fight- 
ing a much larger command, and would, no doubt, have been 
advanced to high rank in the service had his life been spared to 
the close of the war. 



Artillery Duel at Sulphur Springs. 97 

The following account of the engagement was given by a cor- 
respondent of the New York Tribune, who was personally in the 
midst of the fight : 

■' The First and Second Brigades of General Sturgis' Division broke camp 
at about 7 o'clock, A. M., to move from the camp at White Sulphur Springs to 
the neighorhood of Fayetteville. There was a choice of tv^'o roads, one of 
which leads back from the Rappahannock, and was therefore safe from the shot 
and shell of the enemy, while the other -the most direct route and consider- 
ably more convenient for the transportation of the wagon trains — passed the 
Spring, and, approaching the river, turned to the left at a sharp angle in plain 
view of, and but a trifling distance from a large mansion upon a hillside on the 
other branch of the stream. The road as it approaches the river exposes a 
column of troops or train of wagons passing over it to a dangerous enfilading 
fire from a hill, where the house is situated, and after the turn is made, troops 
and trains moving away to the left, are in range from the hill for some distance, 
till they are finally protected by the hills rising upon either side of the river, 
behind which the road winds. 

"The two brigades had been for some time in motion, and a portion of 
the train, under charge of Captain Plato, division quartermaster, had passed 
the dangerous turn in the road, when our cavalry were seen skirmishing with 
the rebels in the neighborhood of the house on the opposite hill. Finally, our 
cavalry, seeing the departure of the troops, formed in a solid square and re- 
turned toward the river at the point where the ruins of the bridge crossing the 
stream was guarded by the 35th Massachusetts. At the same moment the 
rebel cavalry emerged from the wood in rear of the house and formed in a 
hallow square, protecting two pieces of artillery, which were planted by the 
house. A moment more and a 20-pound rifled shell from a Parrott gun came 
whizzing along over the line of wagons approaching the river, exploding in un- 
pleasant proximity to the train. 

" Captain Durell's Battery immediately took up position and opened as 
soon as possible. The rebels now got five guns in position, three of them be- 
ing 20-pound Parrotts, and a hail of shot and shell flew over the heads of the 
train, the troops having got beyond range. Captain Plato, seeing the danger 
to which his wagons were exposed, many of them containing ammunition, 
turned back that portion which had not reached the turn, and they moved to 
their destination over the more difiicult but less dangerous road. Captain 
Durell's Battery, occupying an exceedingly exposed position, wil'.istood lot- 
something like an hour the fire from the heavy 20-pound guns. Karly in the 
fight, Lieutenant Howard Mcllvain was struck by a shell which carried away 
his arm, side, thigh and hip, laying open his entrails and causing one of the 
most fearful wounds ever recorded. The brave and unfortunate young man 
lay in the most horrible agony, raving from pain a great portion of the time, 
from the moment of receiving his wound till 8 o'clock in the evening, when he 
was relieved from his sufferings by death. He said to a friend, as he lay writh- 
ing in agony, that he was not afraid to die ; he only wished that death might 
come soon to relieve him of the dreadful pain he suffered. All who have come in 
contact with Mcllvain, pronounce him a young man of remarkable promise and 
most excellent qualities, social and otherwise, and one who wo\ild have ;naclv.' 



98 Durell's Battery. 

a noteworthy mark in the world had he been spared. He is universally 
lamented in his corps, with which he had been connected since the nth of last 
August, and Captain Durell mourns in him his best and most trustworthy 
officer, which is saying nothing derogatory to the other brave men in his com- 
mand. 

"The cavalry turned back. The next moment the expected shell the 
first one of the fight — passed over the train, and a short time afterward occurred 
the very charge anticipated by Captain Plato, which was successfully met and 
repulsed by our infantry and cavalry at the bridge. The long line of heavy 
wagons, many of them filled with ammunition — which had passed the turn, 
now found themselves slowly and toilsomely crossing a iioggy meadow, filled 
with mud-holes and ditches. Uver their heads — the hill ujjon which our bat- 
teries were planted partially protecting them— flew the rebel missiles, many of 
them bursting directly over the train. Some wagons were struck, though gen- 
erally the enemy fired too high. One driver was hit by a shell, which frac- 
tured his right leg and disabled two mules. One ammunition wagon had the 
tail-board knocked out by a shell, which fortunately did not explode. Two 
wagons laden with oats were disabled, their contents being saved and the 
wagons burned to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy. A horse 
was left behind, used up and worthless for the time, which I had the ' melan- 
choUy pleasure ' of shooting for the same purpose. With these exceptions, 
the entire train was got off in safety, having been extricated from an exceedingly 
unpleasant predicament. The Second Brigade, General Ferrero, being nearest 
the train, had meanwhile been ordered back to its protection. General Getty, 
of the Third Division, followed by General Burns of the First, arrived on the 
ground about 9.30 o'clock, and l)y 10 o'clock, Benjamin's famous ijattery, E, 
2nd United States Artillery, took up a commanding position on the hill, above 
the ruined hotel, and opened on the enemy with his six 20-poun(l Parrotts, 
silencing his guns in about half an hour." 

After the Confederates were driven from the field, Durell's 
Hattery followed the division and encamped within a mile of Fay- 
etteville, beside its old comrades of King's Division, to which it 
was formerly attached. A rough coffin was made by the battery 
artificers, and the remains of Lieutenant Mcllvain placed therein 
for shipment to his late home at Reading, which could not be 
done, however, until Warrenton Junction was reached, on the 17th. 
The next morning the division moved off promptly at a ([uick pace, 
which was kept up throughout the day's march. In the evening it 
encamped along the railroad a mile south of Warrenton junction. 

The command broke camj) early on the morning of November 
17th, taking the Fredericksl)urg road — the same highway upon 
which the battery had moved three times before. The army 
marched in three columns — artillery and baggage trains on the 
road, and a column of infantry on either side of it. All were 
urged forward at a (piick pace and few halts were made. The rear 



Artillery Duel at Sulphur Springs. 99 

of each division was followed by a strong guard so placed for the pur- 
pose of preventing straggling, which was certain to result in capture by 
the enemy. It was a race to reach Fredericksburg before the Con- 
federates got possession of the town. In the evening the command 
halted near the old mill on the Catlett Station road. 

The troops were called up before daylight the next morning 
and again urged forward. The Pennsylvania Reserves, King's and 
Rickett's Divisions, were passed bivouacking at the Brick Church, 
where they had stopped for the night on ground which had, on a 
previous march, been the camping place of the battery. 

Reveille was sounded at 4 o'clock on the 19th. The troops 
moved at daylight, reaching the Rappahannock River, opposite 
Fredericksburg, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. It was soon ascer- 
tained that the enemy was upon the opposite side of the river await 
ing the arrival of Burnside's army. 




loo Durell's Battery. 



CHAPTER XIV. 
Burnside's Fredericksburg. 

THE battery was at once placed in position on the bank of 
the river, near the Lacey House, ready to open its guns 
upon the city. The enemy's pickets were upon the oppo- 
site banks of the stream, but offered no resistance to the Union 
troops' taking position in front of them. On the contrary, the 
meeting was rather of a friendly nature, the pickets conversing 
across the stream, and twitting each other over the incidents and 
misfortunes of the war. "Johnny Reb " would ask his Yankee 
opponent how he liked Bull Run, and the Yankee would in return 
inquire for his estimate of Antietam. The next day Benjamin's 
Battery opened upon a train of cars that was hauling stores out of 
the city, firing several shots, none of them, however, doing any 
visible damage. During the night the camp was drenched by a cold 
rain storm, which made the quarters of the men very uncomforta- 
ble. In a letter dated November 21st, pubhshed in the Bucks 
County Intelligencer, Sergeant Andrews describes the condition of 
the camjj as follows : 

"Dismal, rainy weather, with liigh winds, driving the rain into the fronts 
ot" the tarpaulin tents. The straw in front of the beds is trodden into the mud, 
and presents a most filthy appearance, reminding one of a dirty hog-pen. The 
large number of men quartered in each tent soon had the earth trampled into 
liquid mud. The tents are also rendered more unpleasant and untenantable by 
the mire and tilth which ran into them from the picket ropes. The men were 
rather unfortunate in the position of their tents, being in real' of the caissons, 
on the slope of the hill. The battery is in regular position, the limbers some 
distance in rear of the guns, and the line of caissons a couple of hundred feet in 
rear of them. The object is to keej) all concealed, so that the enemy can see 
nothing but the flash of our guns, should we be compelled to use them. Every 
knoll along the river, both above and Ijelow the town, has a battery in position 
on it. '{"he guns below the town command the country lor miles tlown the 
railroad and the liowling (Irt'cn road. Tlie country ojiposite us. as far as the 
eye can discern, is a level plain, clear i)f woodland as it follows the railroad. 
We can see the smoke and escaping steam from an approaching engine for nearly 
four miles. Directly opposite us, within a couple of miles, are hills through 
which the plank road to Ciordonsville and the telegraph road to Richmond go. 
( )n these hills the enemy are in position, but we can see very few of them mov- 
insi about. The wagon trains of the rebels took these loads. We could see 



BuRNsiDF.'s Fredertcksrurg. ioi 

them very plainly as they went out, the country intervening being cleared. 
The residences below the town are very fine, and present a much handsomer 
appearance than any of the buildings in the town. The inmates do not appear to 
lie at all non-plussed by the Yankees, as they move about attending to their 
work. The infantry in camp on our old drill ground are in a dreadful condi- 
tion this morning. The ground formed a natural basin, and the poor fellows 
were flooded out. (leneral Sturgis and staff, likewise in quarters there, shared 
the same fate. They all stood out in the rain together, this morning, rubbing 
their noses over sickly fires. Occasionally we hear a rifle going //?<r^, //?V^, up 
the river; the pickets indulging in a little familiarity with each other by exchang- 
ing leaden pills. The enemy has hi.s pickets posted in the houses and under the 
porches of the town. The rebels started the foundry over in the town to run- 
ning. Rurnside destroyed all the machinery the Government had put there 
liefore he left, last summer ; also the wire bridge he had erected. The enemy 
destroyed the bridge at Falmouth the day of the late skirmi.sh here, and then 
forded the river. The rebels have completely gutted the country. The train 
that went out yesterday did not get a grain of corn. What little ])lunder the 
inhabitants have they are willing to trade oft' for a little salt ; but salt lieing none 
too plentiful with us, they did not get much of it. They asked seventy-five 
cents per dozen for eggs. The negroes commenced flocking in and the general 
put them to work, building bridges and roads. The old factory building oppo- 
site Falmouth, used by us last summer as a hospital, was illuminated at night. 
Their pickets are again on the river bank with large fires to mark their posts. 
(~)urs are on this side directly opposite. The pickets are all on friendly terms 
and carry on conversation during the day. This makes their duty more pleas- 
ant, especially as they do not fear being shot at, picket firing having been abol- 
ished by both sides. Our supplies are now drawn from Belle Plain. The rain 
made the roads very- heavy, and whole trains are sometimes stuck in the mud. 
The mail that went out yesterday was so large that three wagons were required 
to convey it, and five wagons are required to bring in the mails due us. From 
the scarcity of lights in the houses, the inhabitants must have nearly all left 
town, or darkened the windows with heavy curtains. The bands are tantaliz- 
ing the rebels to-night, serenading the general at Lacey's house. They are 
giving them ' Hail Columbia,' ' ^'ankee Doodle,' etc. No doubt .the airs of 
those old-time and once familiar tunes are very pleasant to secession ears. We 
had our tattoo roll call at 7 o'clock, the men being all anxious to go to bed to 
get warm. Soldiering is a good business to learn sleeping in. Some of the 
men, I really believe, slept nearly the whole twenty-four hours, barely taking time 
for their meals. Others have the cook's trench for their idol, living there nearly all 
the time. I hear a large crowd there now, talking, waiting to fill their fat boxes, 
as the cooks are now boiling off meat. This may be a laughable idea to you, 
that men should load down their haversacks with boxes and bottles of grease. 
I consider it a fine idea, as it gives us many a piece of fried meat, as well as 
fried mush and crackers. Tied to the knapsacks, or hung on the muskets of 
half the infantrymen that pass us, you can .see the little frying pan. Any one 
of them would throw away his knapsack and its contents before he would give 
up his little pan. The ground is so moist that we have considerable trouble in 
keeping our horses fastened. The horses pull out their stakes and keep the 
corporals on the race after them." 



I02 Durell's Battery. 

The 22nd was a quiet day, with the exception of an occa- 
sional cannon-shot fired whenever the enemy attempted to move a 
train. They were seen to be engaged in building earthworks on 
the heights back of the city. The pickets still maintained friendly 
communications. The battery mail carrier brought into camp a 
large back mail, which was gladly welcomed by the men. Orders 
were received the next day to shell any train of cars seen to be 
moving within the enemy's lines, but no such attempt being made, 
the battery missed an opportunity to practice in marksmanship. 

The reveille was sounded at 4 o'clock on the 24th, Bell's Land- 
ing, on the Potomac River, being reported as the destination of 
the march. The command moved at sunrise to headquarters, at 
the Phillips' House, where the order was countermanded. The 
battery went into camp about half a mile back of its late position 
on the banks of the river, upon ground which had that morning 
been vacated by Romer's Battery. The next day it was inspected 
by a major of the regular army, and a new supply of ammunition 
was received. 

The 26th was employed by the drivers in washing and oiling 
the artillery harness, which was always a distasteful duty. Thurs- 
day, November 27th, was Thanksgiving Day. Many of the boys 
went out into the woods and fields beyond the limits of the camps, 
hunting for rabbits, which were plentiful. The following is taken 
from Andrew's journal : 

' Have received no orders to observe Thanksgiving Day. Never pre- 
sumed to keep any holiday, or even Sunday, unless so ordered by the com- 
manding general. Everything around us has been very quiet, scarely a sound 
being heard. The men are scattered around in groups sunning themselves, 
engaged in playing at cards, Ti very favorite amusement with them ; a fen- 
sleeping, and a few are writing or reading. 

"We received an order relieving Lieutenant I.oeser from duty as acting 
ordnance officer of the Second Division, and returning him to the battery on 
duty. We are pleased with his return for we miss him very much, and have 
become more attached to him than any other of our officers. He was a captain 
in the New \'ork P'ire Zouaves, of which regiment his brother was colonel. 

" The men enjoyed the evening with various sports. At first they started a 
straight foiir, but the want of the proper ' cat gut ' compelled them to give up 
the stag performances. Then thi rough but exhilirating game of 'leapfrog' 
followed. This afforded them more amusement than any other of their games ; 
many a poor fellow received a good tumble, and had his dainty fingers smashed 
by the 5(77//less remains of a pair of No. 11 boots. Then came a Fourth of 
luly oration, pure spread-eagle style the ceremonies closing with the freaks of 
the wonderful elephant. The aforesaid animal closed his eventful career by 
losing his skin, having been led into the bushes, and in his struggles to extricate 
himself, losing the dirty horse blanket. 



Rurnside's Fredericksburc;. 103 

November 2Stli. — " The first locomotive came up to Fredericksburg to-day. 
Its approach was hailed with dehght by all the troops, and visions of boxes, 
pies, etc., came floating in beautiful confusion before the men's eyes." 

On the 29th the old routine of foot, gun and field drills was 
resumed, and a rigid system of camp police instituted. F2very 
scrap of dirt, stick or stone, was removed from the camp ground 
and everything belonging to the command put in good order and 
at its proper place. 

On the 7th of December the men were ordered to go to the 
woods and procure timber for hut building. The construction of 
winter ([uarters was begun with a will, as all hands were eager to 
have comfortable shelter. The orders came none too soon, for 
cold weather and snow soon followed, and the men were poorly 
clad. Many of their garments were badly worn, and some of the 
men were almost barefoot. Andrew's journal of the 7th says : 

" Last night was the coldest we have had this winter thus far. The wind 
was high and the air keen. The ground is white with snow except where foot- 
paths have been made. The traveling is bad, the mire being deep and frozen 
on the top. Heavy artillery is coming to the front. This morning a special 
train brought seven twenty-pounder Rodman guns. Goods and stores of all 
kinds are arriving daily for the use of the troops. The officers have received 
orders for all duty to be suspended for the present, and for the officers and men 
to make themselves comfortable, and the teams to be used in hauling logs, etc., 
necessary for the construction of huts. This is the first Sunday that we have 
not heard the church bells of Fredericksburg ring. The old town clock, how- 
ever, still thunders away undisturbed. Any number of chimneys can be seen 
sending out their columns of smoke, intimating that there is some life as yet 
in the town. It is thought that the greater number of the houses are aban- 
doned by the proper inmates and are now tenanted by the dirty rebel soldiery. 
The enemy does not show us near so many of his men as when we first 
came here. We see none now except the pickets on the river bank, and by the 
aid of a glass, those at work on the fortifications. The employees on the railroad 
are kept hard at work. Trains are running in and out every hour of the day 
and night. With all their running the commissariat does not seem to make 
much headway. The piles of stores keep about the same size. The teams 
haul away every day aliout as much as is brought in." 

When orders were received on the 9th, to have three days' 
cooked rations on hand the men began to lose interest in the work of 
building winter quarters. About noon of the loth, building oper- 
ations were stopped and the men were excited and discouraged. 
The work on the stables was progressing rapidly, and they were 
fast approaching completion, when Captain Durell ordered the 
men to cease working for the present, and to make themselves 
ready for a march at 8 o'clock in the evening. He stopped the 



I04 Durell's Battery. 

work because he thought it improbable that the battery would be 
returned to the same place. 

It was a cold night, with nearly two inches of snow upon the 
ground. The battery took position on the heights of the river 
bank just below Falmouth. The implements suspended to the 
gun carriages and everything that was liable to rattle or make a 
sound were muffled Loud talking was forbidden, and every pre- 
caution taken to keep the enemy in ignorance of the movement. 
Fires were prohibited, and every man was expected to sleep — if at 
all — at his post. By orders nothing was taken along but over- 
coats and blankets ; knapsacks being left l)ehind in the camp in 
care of the cooks and teamsters. A rubber blanket, a woolen 
blanket and an overcoat spread upon the snow was the best bed 
at hand, and the canopy of heaven, dotted with bright and twink- 
ling stars of a wintry sky the only shelter for the troops. The 
men sought rest in their novel beds, some of them soon falling to 
sleep, while others, being suddenly apprised of a very cold sensa- 
tion in the back or side produced by the melting snow as it was 
thawed by the heat from their bodies, arose and paced backward 
and forward the remainder of the night. There were some in the 
command unmindful of such a trifle as a pool of ice water, and 
slept throughout the night. 

The wakeful ones moved about to keep their blood in circula- 
tion, reflecting on the vicissitudes of a soldier's life; speculating 
about the outcome of the battle which would begin with the dawn 
of day, and thinking of home and the loved ones there, peacefully 
sleeping in warm beds. It was a long, cold and cheerless night; 
but it ended at 4 o'clock in the morning, when the first boom of 
cannon brought every man to his feet, and sent him to his post 
ready for action. Next the musketry was opened and soon grew 
heavy down the river where the pontoons were being laid to afford 
facilities for crossing They were being put down at the same 
])lace occupied by the pontoon of the summer before. The Con- 
federates occupied every house along the river front within rifle 
shot of the pontoons, shooting from doors, windows, cellars, holes 
l)ored through walls, etc. The Union artillery, which was posted 
on the banks of the river,forming an unbroken line from Falmouth 
to a point below the city, next opened a bombardment upon Fred- 
ericksburg. Within three-quarters of a mile were posted thirteen 
batteries. The roar and thunder of the belching cannon was 
terrific. 'I'he echo along the river added to the awful din. The 




FREDERICK 



^'CO.nAxS^ \5\\ C^S 



Burnside's Fredericksburg. 105 

batteries were all ordered to fire on the city and demolish it, and 
drive out the enemy's sharpshooters. The fog was so dense that 
the opposite side could scarcely be seen, and the smoke of battle 
was almost suffocating. 

Toward noon the fog cleared away, when it was seen that many 
of the shots had not struck the city, having been fired too high. 
As soon as this was discovered the elevation of the guns was lowered, 
and the sound produced by crashing shells and falHng bricks indicated 
that the fire was now more effective. The engineers, supported by 
a strong force of infantry, had been working hard to bridge the 
stream since 4 o'clock, but every step was contested by the enemy 
with a storm of bullets. At last the 7th Michigan and 20th Massachu- 
setts Regiments took a desperate chance. Jumping into the boats and 
quickly rowing into the stream, they gained the opposite shore 
through a murderous fire, in which many of their number were 
killed and wounded. But the regiment was successful in effecting 
a landing and in maintaining it, and the bridge was finished about 
4 P. M. The troops promptly began to cross over, and as soon as 
they reached the opposite bank the fighting became general. The 
musketry fire through the streets was very heavy, the enemy mak- 
ing a strong resistance, but he was finally driven to his intrench- 
ments on the heights beyond the town. 

Up to this time the Confederates had not used their artillery 
with the exception of a few desultory shots, aimed at points above 
and below the city. They now opened their batteries and com- 
menced playing on the troops crossing the river. Durell's Battery 
began firing on the town about daylight, doing so slowly, not car- 
ing to waste much ammunition, and continued it for an hour or 
more, when it was ordered not to fire unless the enemy's infantry 
were seen. The Confederate pickets kept at their posts along the 
river across from the battery, their reserve lying covered behind a 
mill and stone wall immediately opposite. Captain Durell gave 
them the benefit of a couple of case shots, which had no other 
effect, however, than to make them hug the closer to their cover. 
A battery on a hill in the rear commenced firing on the Confeder- 
ate works in the afternoon, and some of their projectiles burst 
directly over Durell's command making the place rather uncomfort- 
able. 

Night coming on, each man made preparations for sleeping. 
The ground was still pretty well covered with snow, but fires were 
now permitted, which were made large, and heavy pieces of logs 



io6 Durell's Battery. 

placed on them to keep them burning through the night. Each 
fire was early in the evening encircled by a squad of weary, sleepy 
soldiers. Nothing happened to disturb their rest and they were 
permitted to enjoy a refreshing sleep. The following account of 
the remaining days of the battle is taken from Andrew's journal : 

December 12th. — "Our liorses were all fed, as well as ourselves, by day- 
light, and the limbers refilled with ammunition from the caissons, expecting 
rather heavy work during the da}-. Tlie sun rose beautifully and the atmos- 
phere clear, giving every indication of a sunshiny day for the fight, which it 
turned to be. The rebels commenced firing early in the morning. We, how- 
ever, paid no particular attention to them, as what few shots they did attempt 
to throw struck in the river banks below us. At 9 A. M. we commenced firing, 
continuing only twenty minutes. We fired l)Ut little, as we were in a very 
exposed position and did not care to draw their fire on us. or even to waste our 
ammunition on trifles. All of our shot, except a few condemned ones, did 
what they were called on to do. Colonel Hayes, under whose charge the bat- 
teries were, seeing that we were in danger from bursting shells of our own 
artillery, ordered us to move and take position in the earthworks just in rear of 
Falmouth. We had no objection to this, and quietly moved our plunder, 
passing through Sykes' Division of Regulars. When we halted we found our- 
selves on a knoll overlooking the whole battle-field. We discovered that our 
neighbors were the jiartv who had been throwing the iron over our heads. 
Everything was here just to suit us. From these forts we had a splendid 
range on all the reiiel worl<s on our left. F'rom these works they commenced 
firing a few minutes before 3 P. M. .As soon as their first gun had emitted its 
smoke our boys were at their posts and played into them lively — so much so 
that I fear many a cracked head can testify to the correctness of our aim. We 
were firing at pretty high elevation — fifteen degrees— and at a distance of over 
3,000 yards. The shot used was percussion shell, which bursts on striking any 
object. We continued firing until sunset. The firing became general along 
the whole lines this afternoon. Large trains of sutlers' wagons were coming 
in all day, but their trade in tobacco was somewhat spoiled by the troops, who 
were selling the tobacco they had fished out of the river. Tobacco was sold at 
the rate of two plugs for one cent. The tobacco was so tightly packed that it 
was not injured by the water. Towards evening, as I was standing at the left 
of the works, watching the operations, I was surprised at seeing Lieutenant 
Gensel coming along. He looks remarkably well. He tells me that he had 
been unwell, and was still under the weather. Having picked out a compara- 
tively dry spot — for all was mud — we rolled in for the night. 

December i^th. — " K heavy dew fell during the night, making our blankets 
very wet. At 10 the firing commenced on the left, and continued all day. 
Such another racket I never heard. The rattle of musketry was equal to the 
cannonading of Thursday. The smoke soon hid the city from view, and all we 
could see in that direction was the belching of the guns. Early in the morning 
we received orders to be ready to move at a moment's notice. Our horses were 
kept harnessed all day and night. The infantry were firing all night opposite 
us. The balloon went up a number of limes during the day. We opened fire 
at II o'clock A. M., but fired only a few rounds, being ordered to cease, and 



Burnside's Fredericksburg. 107 

only to lire when llie enemy opened on us. At 1. 45 P. M. opened again, on a 
rebel battery that was bold enough to come out in front of the fortifications. 
This concern soon retired from business. Sykes' men moving out, furnished 
us with luxuries — wood and ]:)oards. We soon put up a shanty, adorned on 
the sides, back and front with damask curtains made of oat V)ags — a very 
stylish affair. After dark we all went over to a ruined house on our left and 
watched the night fighting. It was supremely grand. We could distinctly see 
the flashes of musketry on both sides ; and the burning fuses on the shells, as 
they passed through the air, resembled so many meteors. 

December 14th, — "The infantry commenced firing early in the morning. 
We were ordered to move again, and take positions on a hill above Falmouth. 
Two sections were posted in a very fine peach orchard. The other was in 
advance, on the road. The position being much exposed, the caissons were 
sent about two miles around, to come in safely. We had barely arrived, when 
a solid shot came plunging along ahead of us, tearing up the ground fearfully. 
It ricochetted and struck a fence on top of a hill about 300 yards before us. The 
summit of the hill was filled with gaping infantry, who were soon taken with 
the leaves, and created a scene I never before saw and certainly will never 
forget. They considered it a dangerous locality. The battery was posted by a 
large frame house, the family having left it. They came back in the afternoon, 
young ones and all. At 4 30 P. M. we opened fire, disturbing our madam, and 
she left for parts out of range. We tried their cellar, and got just so far as to 
see the apples, potatoes etc.; but white oak bars said ' Hands oft".' Amused 
ourselves during the day in cooking and eating. Pitched our bed on the sod, 
under an apple tree, and spent the first comfortable night out. 

December ijth. — " (^uiet all morning, orders being to keep out of sight. 
At noon opened fire and gave the rebels the benefit of a few shots. Made such 
accurate shots that we were complimented by Colonel Hayes, who sent down 
an orderly for that purpose. We again fired towards evening ; this was the 
last firing we did. 

December ibth.- — " Woke up this morning to find ourselves in a very wet 
bed. Rain commenced about 3 P. M., and the water ran under us like young 
rivers. The battery moved and was parked in a woods about half a mile to the 
right of our old jiosition, with orders to remain where we were, in readiness to 
resume the old position. Here the men rigged up quarters out of cedar and 
pine brush, which were pretty comfortable — had plenty to eat, and plenty of 
wood to burn. Whose business is it if we did kill a cow that would have a calf 
in a few days, and eat her ? The owners were hunting her, but nobody could 
tell where the cow was. To-day is the anniversary of our coming into Dixie. 
We did not celebrate it, it not being a very joyful occasion. During the fight 
we expended the following ammunition : 125 time shells, 60 percussion shells, 
7 case shot." 

General Burnside, finding the enemy's works beyond the city 
impregnable to the assault of his army, and hampered by the half- 
hearted efforts of his corps commanders, who were infected with 
jealousy of him and of each other, determined to withdraw from 
the field. This movement was begun on the evening of the 15th, 



io8 Durell's Battery. 

a very dark and stormy night favoring the movement, so that the 
whole army recrossed the river by dayh'ght on the i6th, without 
the enemy's knowledge. Even some portions of the Union picket 
line was not aware of the retreat to the other shore, until dayhght 
revealed the situation. They at once withdrew as stealthily and 
quickly as possible, but not soon enough for some of their number 
to escape capture by the enemy. Several of them came down to 
the river directly opposite the position occupied by Durell's Bat- 
tery, and waded through the stream, which was at this point shal- 
low and full of rocks. The troops were very much depressed in 
spirits. They had fought hard and lost over twelve thousand of 
their number. Nothing had been gained. On the other hand 
the Confederates were elated. Their pickets soon returned to 
their former posts on the river bank, and guyed the Union troops 
on their failure to carry the heights. It was a gloomy day for the 
Army of the Potomac. 

All was quiet along the lines on the i6th, with the exception 
of a few shells from the enemy's cannon, which were thrown in the 
morning at some retiring squads of pickets. Durell' s Battery moved 
into a neighboring cedar woods and parked its guns by the side of 
Benjamin's Battery. A ration of whiskey was issued to the men 
The weather was very cold for camping without tents, but the men 
put up fairly comfortable shelter of cedar brush. The rations of 
food were drawn by detachments, which was brought over from the 
cook house in the old camp by the teams. 

The battery remained in its cedar bivouac, with nothing to do 
during the cold weather which prevailed but keep up the fires 
and growl at the quartermaster for not furnishing more rations, 
until Sunday, the 21st, when it moved back to its old camp. 
Arriving about 10 o'clock in the morning, the men immediately 
resumed the work of completing the huts, which had been left 
unfinished on the departure eleven days previous. All hands 
went to the woods, felled pine trees, cut logs and snaked them to 
camp, laboring with fresh zeal, encouraged by the prospect of 
remaining here the remainder of the winter to enjoy the comforta- 
ble new quarters. 

Orders were now issued requiring the men of each gun detach- 
ment to bunk together, and the six duty sergeants and buglers to 
occupy a separate hut near the captain's quarters. This broke up 
several messes, parting boon companions and mess mates, and 
caused no little complaint. But it was one of the inalienable priv- 



Burnside's Fredericksburg, 109 

ileges of the soldier to growl, and he generally availed himself of 
this right until his resentment was unloaded, when he philosoph- 
ically submitted to the inevitable. In this case he soon accommo- 
dated himself to his new surroundings, and all lived together in 
harmony, barring a jar now and then, which is said to occur in the 
best regulated families. 

On the 23rd the weather had turned clear and warm. The 
men were called up early and set to the work of cleaning the har- 
ness and pieces. At 11 o'clock the battery joined the division and 
was reviewed by General Sumner. It returned to camp just after 
dinner time, and, after receiving their rations, the men again 
resumed work upon the huts. The next day being warm and 
pleasant they were permitted to woik upon their quarters unham- 
pered by other duties. The 25th was clear and very pleasant and 
nearly all of the new quarters received the finishing touches. With 
many the day passed without a thought of Christmas. 

The huts were built of logs to the height of six feet, and were 
twelve feet square, chincked with strips of wood and plastered with 
mud. Two feet of earth was dug out and banked against the out- 
side of the structure, which made the interior eight feet in height. 
This was roofed with a tarpauhn, and the gable ends above the 
square were enclosed with boards. Some of the huts were pro- 
vided with a window in the gable. .\\\ contained a fire-place, 
some of which were built of brick. Where brick could not be 
obtained, logs and sticks of wood, well covered with mud, were the 
materials used in the construction of this important jjart of the 
building. The bunks occupied nearly half the space of the inte- 
rior. The lower one was set two feet from the floor, and the 
upper one three feet above, each being provided with mattress 
made of oat bags filled with pine and spruce. Each hut was de- 
signed to accommodate eight men. The interior of them was 
papered with newspapers, and some were furnished with benches, 
tables and other furniture. They were very comfortable quarters 
and the men were pleased with their work. Neither the Sibley 
tents of the previous winter, nor the summer quarters down near 
the Lacey House, could be compared with those now provided. 
The men were as well satisfied in their huts as the 104th Regiment 
had been with the Carver Barracks. All that was now needed to 
to complete their happiness was a visit from the ]xiymaster and the 
issue of new clothing. 



no Durell's Battery. 

The quarters having been completed, Captain Durell ordered 
that stables be built for the horses. They were constructed with 
crotched posts and poles cut and brought from the woods and cov- 
ered with pine and spruce boughs. The roof was a miserable 
leaky affair, the water dripping down upon the horses long after a 
rain-fall. The floor was made of a corduroy of logs. 

New clothing came on the 26th, and the men were supplied 
with everything needed in this line, with the exception of under- 
clothing. Amo ng the garments issued were woolen jackets intended 
for the Confederate soldiers. These had been captured with an 
English blockade runner, at Wilmington, N. C. The following are 
articles of clothing, etc., with prices charged to the men's clothing 
account, taken from the descriptive hst : cap, 68 cents ; jacket, 
$5.84; scales, 40 cents ; trousers, $4; shirt, 88 cents ; drawers, 
50 cents ; pair bootees, ^2.91 ; boots, $3.33; socks, 26 cents; 
great coat, $9.75; knapsack and straps, $2.57; haversack, 48 
cents ; canteen, 34 cents ; stable frock, 68 cents ; blanket, $2.95. 

The battery was again taken up to headquarters for review, 
this time by the corps commander. General Willcox. Captain 
Durell acted as chief of artillery of the division. The stables were 
finished on the 29th. Un the 30th, new haversacks, canteens, 
caps, etc. , were issued, and on the following day the battery was 
inspected and mustered for six months' pay, by Captain Durell. 
The men made a fine appearance in their new uniforms, and were 
in excellent condition to start in on the new year. 

The first day of January, 1863, was free from drill and inspec- 
tion, and the men were given permission to visit neighboring camps, 
or celebrate the day in any manner they might choose. The feast 
was but the ordinary rations on this occasion, consisting of boiled 
rice with sugar, for dinner, and hard-tack, fat pork, and a tin cup 
of strong coffee, slightly sweetened, for supper. A (g\v of the men 
succeeded in procuring whiskey and celebrated the day in quite a 
lively and noisy manner. Nothing of importance transpiring for 
some time, the men were permitted to enjoy their new (juarters, 
with little duty to perform. They were under marching orders, 
however, from day to day, which was a menace to the continuance 
of their ease and comfort, and which they did not relish. Andrew's 
wrote at this time as follows : 

January 2nd. — " The weather is as much like 2nd of May as 2nd of Janu- 
ary. Early in the niornin<5 the ground was covered with a heavy frost, and the 
air was very cool, but as soon as the sun came out, became very warm. 'I'he 



Burnside's Fredericksburg. hi 

rebels were either very drunk and in for a spree last night, or else ihey had a 
very sudden turn of piety, for about midnight they made the old church bells 
in the city fairly howl by their ringing. There is a large wagon camp just on 
the creek, in rear of our camp. The drivers are mostly negroes, who are cele- 
brating the holidays this evening. The whole posse of them are as cocked as 
an old musket, and making night hideous with their performances, which are 
really ludicrous. They are the happy possessors of an old squeaking fiddle ; 
poor pussy has to take it from the man handling the bow. I was over awhile 
watching them going it on the double-shuffle. It was a very fancy show, but 
by no means equal to the meeting they held in ihe old barn last summer, or 
even to the old wench sitting in the shanty door, catching fleas. The rebels are 
torturing the old bells again over in town, completely drowning the bowlings of 
the curs who serenade us every night. The balloon was up to-day much higher 
than any time I have seen it yet. The aeronaut does not trust himself up very 
long, fearful, I reckon, of the big Whitworth guns over the river. They sent 
him an iron pill on the day of the fight, which landed far in his rear, but was 
sufficient notice to hurry him from the upper regions. The President's eman- 
cipation proclamation has made considerable stir among the troops on both 
sides. A flag of truce went over the river this afternoon, and the rebel 
pickets inquired if they were after darkies, as they had plenty of them over 
there. 

Sattirday, January j/v/. — '" The Lacey property has been much despoiled 
since the battle. It is used as a hospital, and as wood is not convenient to those 
in charge, the hands employed about it have cut down all the trees on the grounds. 
It is a shameful piece of spoliation, as there were some of the handsomest trees 
among them that ever I laid my eyes on. But war, like a railroad company, 
cares but little for the beauty of the route traveled. Orderlies are galloping about 
with hands full of orders, and another big 32-pounder went down to the river 
fortifications this evening, to keep company with the seven that have been there 
since the battle. Two of the rebel pickets came over the river this afternoon 
to our boys on tills side, for the purpose of trading tobacco for coffee. Al- 
though there are express orders against the pickets being friendly, they will 
make themselves neighljorly. They made their barter while in view of their 
men, but it was the last they saw of them, and probably will be for some time, 
as they were seen this evening at the depot, with passes in their hands for 
Washington. Our pontoon wagons have commenced moving away; it was 
said up the river. 

Sunday, Januaiy 4th. — tireat preparations were made for a grand review 
that was ordered to take place this afternoon under the auspices of General 
Burnside. The boys were kept busy in cleaning up harness and themselves for 
the inspection that would take place at 12.30 P. M , befoie the review at 2 
P. M. After everything was in good trim, orders came in that it was post- 
poned ; and to let us know that our work was not all in vain, the captain had 
inspection. The usual rule, last winter, was to have a knapsack inspection on 
every Sunday except the last one in the month, when all hands turned out on 
a mounted inspection. The day was remarkably fine for such an operation, 
until about meridian, when the sky became overcast with black clouds and a 
stiff breeze sprang up. Everything requiring preparation is ordered to come off" 
on Sunday, generally, and the orders are is;-ued late on Saturday night. A 



112 Durell's Battery. 

great smoke comes up from the rebel lines, as though they were breaking 
camp, or had a tremendous quantity of filth to dispose of. We were visited 
this afternoon by two men connected with the Christian Association. They 
distributed papers and testaments among the men. They have been very busily 
engaged in taking care of the sick and wounded, furnishing them with such deli- 
cacies as they reli.sh They inquired about the health of our men. We had 
none who needed their assistance, having only two men off duty sick, and they 
only with camp diarrhf-ta.'' 

On the morning of the 6th, orders were received to be in read- 
ness for a review in the afternoon, when the cannoneers set to work 
and washed the pieces and caissons, and the drivers washed and 
blackened the harness. 'l"he Right Grand Division of the army, 
composed of the Second and Ninth Army Corps, commanded by 
General Sumner, was revieved by General Burnside, and on the 
13th the battery was inspected by Lieutenant Benjamin, Chief of 
Artillery of the Ninth Corps. 

The men now received boxes from home by express and pack- 
ages by mail. The daily mail was freighted with packages contain- 
ing boots, shirts and all kinds of clothing needed by the men. 
Some of these parcels were nearly covered with postage stamps. 

Marching orders were received on the i6th, and the heavy 
-guns were removed from position on the river front. During the 
Sunday morning inspection on the 18th, John Knapp was thrown 
from his horse and pretty badly hurt. On the 20th troops began 
to leave their quarters and march up the north bank of the Rappa- 
hannock, but the command to march had not yet reached the bat- 
tery. The weather had been cold and the ground was frozen. Upon 
this came, on the night of the 20th, a heavy fall of rain, drawing 
out the frost and making the earth soft. The marching columns 
cut the roads into a slushy consistance, and made them almost 
impassable. At reveille roll-call on the 2is% Captain Durell an- 
nounced that at about midnight orders came to move at 4 o'clock, 
but they were afterward countermanded, and that the battery 
would not move until the rain ceased. The artillery that had 
started on the march was badly stuck in the mud, in some instances 
recjuiring sixteen horses to pull one piece. Romer's Battery passed 
by the camp with eight and ten horses attached to each piece, and 
not a very bad road to march on at that time. The rain continued 
to the 23d, and the army could do nothing but flounder through 
tlie mud back to the winter (juarters as best it rould. Thus ended 
Uiirnside's '^Miid Marrh." 



Burnside's Fredf.ricksbiiro. 113 

Those were gloomy days for the Army of the Potomac, and 
there was much dissatisfaction among the rank and file over the 
conduct of the war. Desertions became so numerous that the cav- 
alry was employed to hunt up and arrest men found without per- 
mission between the camps and the Potomac River. But the great 
body of the army, though depressed over the failure of recent 
movements, was composed of true and honorable material, who 
spurned the thought of desertion. 

At his own request, General Burnside was now relieved of the 
command of the Army of the Potomac, and General Hooker placed 
in command. General Sumner was also relieved of the command 
of the Right Grand Division. Burnside's farewell address was 
read to the battery at the evening roll-call on the 29th. 

On the 5th of February, a rumor was current in camp that 
the battery was to be removed to Fortress Monroe. It had a 
chilling and depressing effect upon the spirits of the artillerists. 
They had congratulated themselves on being comfortably fixed 
for the winter. Ovens were in course of building at the division 
headquarters, and the men were enjoying visions of soft bread, 
roast beef, etc. Now the comfortable quarters upon which they 
had worked so hard and enthusiastically, and the promised im- 
provement in the bill-of-fare, must all be given up, and they be 
marched off in mid-winter with no shelter but tents, and no im- 
provement in the rations. 




114 Durell's Battery. 

CHAPTER XV. 

From Fredericksbur(; to Fortress Monroe. 

THE reveille was sounded at 5 o'clock the next morning. 
Rain poured down in torrents. The men soon had every- 
thing packed awaiting ordeis to move. The tents were 
not taken from the log huts at once, as a little shelter was needed 
from the driving storm while the men were waiting. The battery 
moved at 8 o'clock, marching out the Belle Plains road. The 
horses were fresh, and set off on a good strong walk. The storm 
continued with unabated force. Snow had fallen the day before 
to the depth of four inches, which had now melted, and the road, 
which had been cut up by the army wagons, was in a wretched 
condition for the transportation of artillery. The infantry of the 
division was seen early in the morning marching down the hill to 
the depot, where they boarded the cars ; but the facilities for the 
transportation of artillery also, were not sufficient. Andrew's 
journal gives the following account of the march and the voyage of 
the battery to Hampton : 

" ( )ur route for about a mile was rather good, the mire not being so deej) ; 
l)ut as soon as we struck the main road we got into trouble. The mire was 
already deep and tough and heavy — more like mortar than mud. The whole 
country was now perfectly desolated ; not a tence remained, and scarcely a tree 
was to he seen anywhere. About all that met the eye were the unsightly remains 
of some abandoned camp. We w'ere unable to keep the main road, but fol- 
lowed tracks through the desolate fields and around the butchered stumjis that 
showed where the wood had once been. Horses and men were continually 
becoming mired, and the route was strewed with broken buckets, old kettles 
and, tin cups, and occasionally a pair of unfortunate new shoes would l)e seen 
sticking in the mud. Dead horses were no unusual sight. 

"We had proceeded about four miles wheir our first halt occurred, caused 
by some of the harness breaking ; this was soon rectified, and on v;ewa<ied, for 
it could not l)e called marching. As we neared the river, the mire became 
more troublesome. A portion of the road was corduroyed, but the mud was 
plastered over it so thick that one would hardly know on what he was riding. 
Soon after we entered the boundaries of the Centre tJrand Division, our troubles 
commenced, ^\'e had but one track to follow, and that was used by all the 
tea'ms of this jiortion of the army, wnd also b\ llu- forage trains of the Left 
Grand Division. In hundreds of places our horses would nearly be swamped 
in the holes in the log road, or buried up in the deep mire of the dirt road. If 



From Frederickskurg to Fortress Mot^roe. 115 

there is any virtue in yelling, we had excellent opportunity to discover it that 
day. About two miles back of where we halted for the night, one of our cais- 
sons became mired, the carriage sinking to the ammunition boxes. This was 
the first real 'stall ' we had. Our movements were made slower, and we were 
more liable to be stuck here than at any other point along the route, as immense 
wagon trains were moving to and fro over our only road, and the battery pre- 
ceding us was either getting stuck, or halting on the worst part of the road. We 
passed numbers of wagons fast in the mud. Our cannoneers were never so 
hard worked as to-day. They were about worn out by the terrible hard march- 
ing on the roads, and in addition they were compelled to put their shoulders to 
the wheels many a time. 

" Just in rear of our camp for the night lay the worst part of the road we 
encountered. We were compelled to go up a very steep hill, on which the 
mire in many places was nearly axle-deep. The batteries ahead of us were in 
trouble, and we were compelled to halt for a couple of hours, and wait till they 
got out of trouble. In the meanwhile we managed to get in a fix ourselves, 
on the level corduroy road at the foot of the hill. One of the wheel horses of 
a caisson got into a hole at the side of the track and was nearly Iniried up. 
He was unable to find any foot-hold, and in unharnessing him we discovered 
that he was standing on rather precarious ground — on an old horse that had 
fallen down in the road and was now covered up by the mud. We had some 
amusement in getting the carriage out ; the detachment made a temporary 
bridge to work the carriage, and a tumble or two off the back of the old dead 
horse into the mud waist-deep added much to the zest of the affair. We were 
compelled to unlimber and shift the rear boxes around by hand. There were 
three routes up the hill. We moved the two first detachments through the cut 
in the hill, and they got up without any trouble ; but when the third came along 
the horses became balky, not being desirous of dragging the carriages over the 
dead body of one of their comrades, which just filled up the cut. By putting 
ten horses to the carriage, and by the aid of the men, the concern was got out. 
" We went into camp about a mile above the river in a little clump of 
stunted, half-burnt pines, near to our old comrades, the New Hampshire boys. 
There are two routes from the summit of the hill to the landing — one cordu- 
royed and used by the up teams. The Ijatteries in advance took the dirt road, 
and a terrible time they had of it. I saw one caisson stuck fast in the mire and 
thirty-six horses failed to stir it. All through the niglit we could hear the snap- 
ping of whips and the yells and curses of the men, who were bringing up the 
carriages they were compelled to abandon on the route in order to use their 
horses for the other teams. We were all unharnessed and making preparations 
to pass an uncomfortable night by 4 P M., having made the worst march we 
ever endured. The night was severe and wood very scarce. 

February Jtk. — " Woke up towards morning nearly frozen, and investi- 
gating the matter, found that we had slid nearly through the bed clothes, our 
tent being pitched on slanting ground. The sun rose bright and clear and gave 
every indication of a beautiful day. We passed away the morning very pleas- 
antly, dividing our time between drying our blankets and conversing with our 
old chums, the New Hampshire boys. About II A. M. orders came for us to 
move down to the river bank, so as to be near at hand when transportation 
should present itself. We struck the corduroy road just below our camping 



ii6 Durell's Battery. 

place and were certain that we would get along swimmingly. 13ut, as in almost 
everything else, we were here deceived. The road wound through a deep 
ravine between the camps, and carried us up a very steep ascent, and descended 
again rapidly towards the river. The great number of teams continually pass- 
ing over it had displaced some of the logs, making the mire very deep, and, with 
the action of the frost, rendered the road almost next to impassable. We got 
along with as little delay as possible, however, by doubling our teams, putting ten 
horses to each carriage. We came into park about 2 P. M. on the banks of 
Potomac Run, near the river. The rest of the batteries had taken the upper 
route, which brought them to the middle landing, a short distance above us. 
The captain chose this place from the fact of wood being more plentiful. We 
were considerably put to in fixing for resting places. If we pitched our tents 
out where the pieces were, we must lie in mud over shoe-top deep. All we 
could do was to hunt out a smooth place on the side of the steep hill. Our 
camp was the most irregular we had ever laid out, bearing no resemblance at 
all to a camp. It was by no means a lonesome place, as we spent our time in 
watching the steamers continually passing up and down the creek, and we could 
also see all the vessels passing to and fro on the river. Just opposite to us were 
the Aquia Creek hospitals situated on Windmill Point. The ground was liter- 
ally white with the huge hospital tents. We managed to pitch our tents on a 
rather soft spot and to keep our blankets out of the mire, we strewed the ground 
with white pine brush, etc. 

February Sth. — •" By orders from Benjamin, we had reveille at 5 A. M., so 
as to be ready to go aboard the transport at any moment. This was one of the 
most unprofitable days that we spent in the army. We were afraid to under- 
take anything lest it would have to be dropped in order to move immediately to 
the landing. The chief occupation of the l)oys was shooting muskrats of which 
there were great numbers. During the day a large number of canal boats were 
coming into the wharves ; towards noon some of them were on their return 
from the landing loaded with soldiers The Pennsylvania Reserves were being 
shipped to the fortifications around Washington. The channel of the creek is 
not very wide, and at low tide, unless the pilots are very careful, the boats will 
get fast aground. .\ great many amusing incidents occurred during the day, 
by the canal l)oats, with the troops aboard, getting aground 

/■'cbniary glli. — " I'",xi)ected that we would most certainly get off to-day and 
had reveille at 6 A. M. The sun rose beautifully and it turned out a splendid 
(lay. The same miserable sort of an existence was undergone today as was 
endured yesterday — regular loafing. We tried to amuse ourselves but the means 
of amusement were poor. The most inofitable source of pleasure was eating. 
The sailors appeared to be having a general jollification as the river was white 
nearly all the day with sails passing up toward Washington. Komer and Ben- 
jamin loaded up their men and started off. Battery .\, 5lh Regulars, had gone 
on the day before, their horses still being l)ack. Just after sundown Benja- 
min's ' monkey ' came in, full sail, with or<lers for reveille at 2 A. M., and had 
hardly got out of the way when he was back again for ' boots and saddles ' 
immediately. The men were tired of loafing around and made the woods 
fairly howl with llu'ir shouts of |()V. I'ortunately we did not strike our tents, 
as the ' nionUe) ' soim came iiack with orders for us to move to the laniling at 
3 A. M., provided the morning was clear. 




MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH HOOKER 



From Fredericksburg to Fortress Monroe. 117 

February loth. — " Reveille at 1. 30 A. M.; rather early to get up; but so 
it was. We waited impatiently for 3 o'clock to arrive, expecting then to be 
relieved of our unpleasant suspense ; but 3 o'clock brought with it visible dark- 
ness. We did not dare to move out of camp in the dark, as there was a very 
dangerous slough between us and the boats, and we needed light to pass 
through it. We were thus compelled to wait until daylight, and were cheated 
out of six hours' rest ; for when we arrived at the landing we had no boats to 
put the battery on. We were here at least two hours before we commenced 
loading. We were put aboard the same style of transports the other batteries 
went off on — canal boats. We loaded the battery and baggage wagons on two 
boats lashed together by heavy framework, with railway tracks on it for the pur- 
pose of transporting cars from Alexandria to Acquia. We were engaged until 
in the afternoon in getting loaded, merely unlimbering the carriages and running 
them on between the tracks. We did not put our horses aboard, boats being 
wanted. Battery A of the 5th Regulars loaded a number of theirs on a canal 
boat. The poor creatures were dealt with rather unkindly — the men fairly 
throwing them into the boats. The boats that the battery was on were rather 
dirty and wet ; so the captain obtained a new boat, which was clean and dry, 
for the men to sleep in. We left the landing at 5 P. M., and were immediately 
taken in tow by the tug Rover, waiting there for us. There were three tugs of 
us going down the river — two of the batteries having been kept there in waiting 
for us to come along. The river was very rough, and our boats rocked to and 
fro rather too much for comfort. Soon the other tugs were out of sight, we 
having an old affair with a broken propeller. The men amused themselves until 
dark with shooting at the ducks that were sailing around us in 'arge numbers. 
We were awakened about midnight by a great racket on deck— the boats having 
anchored for the night. The night was very cold. The captain of the sleeping 
boat was a great heathen, continually cursing the men and very fearful of his 
boat. As fast as the men would open the hatches to let in a little air he would 
close them. He was finally persuaded to let them be open by being told that 
not only would they throw his hatches overboard, but also send him along, if he 
interfered any more. 

February nth. — " Weighed anchor about daylight and reached St. Mary's 
Harbor, Md., about noon. The air was very raw and damp ; early after starting 
a little snow fell, but it soon turned to rain. We were compelled to turn in here 
on account of the heavy headwinds, making the river rather dangerous for boat- 
ing. We found the harbor well filled with craft of every kind, a big black gun- 
boat among them. We had scarcely halted before the darkies came flocking in 
their dug-outs, with oysters to sell, this being a great oyster locality. As there 
was plenty of time to spend in opening oysters, the negroes soon disposed of all 
they brought, taking for pay the ' fac simile ' Confederate money. We had 
barely halted before some of our men were on the shore and scouting around ; 
and they soon returned with a couple of oyster rakes. Oyster dredging now 
became the order of the day, the men from every craft being at it. The rain 
continued on all day. Soon after dark we heard a great racket from the Rhode 
Island boats —a man being overboard. He was soon hauled on board again ; 
no doubt he went in to take a wash ; it wouldn't hurt any of them. 

February 12th. — " It rained all day ; the men from all the boats went 
ashore and scoured the country for plunder. The harbor is a desolate-looking 



ii8 DuR ell's Battery. 

place, there being only three houses, with the usual number of outbuildings, 
etc.— the point of land running out between the harbor and the river being 
ornamented by a large windmill. The night was very cold. 

Fchruarv 13th. — The wind blew a perfect hurricane during the night. In 
tlie morning we found that we had been driven out towards the river. Weighed 
iinchor and steamed out at daylight. A number of men from the other batteries 
were left on the shore. Some were accidentally left, but others deserted. After 
having proceeded about fifteen miles we reached Cornfield Harbor, at Point 
Lookout, where the river empties into ttie bay. As this is a very rough and 
dangerous locality, we were compelled to anchor here and await the filling of 
the wind. The river was full of small craft in search of oysters. On the point 
large hospital liuildings are erected, and also a lighthouse. Five of our boys 
went off to the shore in search of oysters and were left behind. The wind 
falling, we steamed off again at 3 P. M , and were soon in the bay, which was 
as smooth as a mill pond, though not half an hour before we started we saw the 
white caps rolling very high. Numbers of the large steamers that were with us 
in St. Mary's soon passed us, having better engines than ours. By sundown we 
were passing the light-ship off Smith's Point. We could see the land on the 
Virginia side, but all was blue water in the opposite direction. Our boys who 
were left got aboard a large tow and passed us just about dark. Soon after 
night set in the wind arose, and the bay became very rough — rather too rough to 
suit us as our tug could not save us if anything happened. The wind increased, 
and about midnight blew very hard ; but fortunately for us, it was on our sides 
and stern and aided the tug. We traveled on all night, and soon after daylight 
Fortress Monroe was in sight. The waves barely rocked the two boats lashed 
together, but the single one at our stern, with the men on, rocked and rolled 
fearfully. We reached Hampton Roads at 9 A. M., all the other boats having 
reached there before 5 A. M. We merely remained at the Fortress long enough 
to report, when we were taken in charge by another tug and brought up to 
Hamoton. or rather to what was once Hampton. The rest of the day was 
spent in unloading and getting ready to move. Our drivers and horses are still 
behind. Our infantry are all at Newport News, seven miles above this place." 

Hampton had been a town of some importance before the 
war, but General Magruder applied the torch when he found that 
he could hold it no longer against the Union forces and burned 
nearly all the houses. The government had given the contrabands 
permission to settle among the ruins, and wherever a chimney was 
left standing could be found a shanty, rudely constructed, and in- 
habited by these wards of the nation. 'I'here were, however, a 
couple of stores or shops in the place conducted by white men. 

One of the canal boats containing the horses of Lieutenant 
Benjamin's Battery had sprung a leak, and the creatures were 
standing in water up to their bodies when taken out. The men 
were denomicing the paymaster. He had been within fifty yards 
of the camp with the pay-rolls of the liattery and money, but did 
not stop to disburse the " needful." Sutler's stores were plentiful 



From Fredericksburg to Fortress Monroe. 119 

and cheap. Cheese, that cost at Fahiiouth 50 cents a pound, could 
be purchased for 16 cents ; apples, three for 5 cents; ham, 12 
cents per pound, etc. The army fare was, however, good, and in- 
cluded soft bread from the Fortress Monroe bakery — the first soft 
bread the battery had had in six months. Soft shell clams were 
also abundant. The men dug them out of the mud at low tide, 
and feasted on them with evident enjoyment, as they were a wel- 
come change in the fare. 

The troops slept on board the canal boat for two nights after 
their arrival at Hampton, but were obliged to vacate it on the 
morning of the i6th, when the boat was towed away from the 
wharf. The tarpaulins were then erected among the ruins of the 
town. That evening a cold rain storm came up which continued 
several days. On Sunday a number of the men visited a colored 
church, and heard the first sermon preached by a white man in 
thirteen months. Many of the men sought refuge from the cold 
storm in the huts of the colored people, who were quite hospitable 
and very willing to contribute to the comfort of the soldiers. Each 
man had to cook his own coffee as the company cooks could not 
make a fire out of doors. In this emergency the colored people 
kindly placed their fires at the disposal of the men. The mess to 
which the writer was attached, captured a stove and put it up in 
the tent. It was fired up, but would not throw out sufficient heat, 
and they were obliged to visit the shops and huts to keep warm, 
as indeed most of the men were doing. On the 17th, two of the 
baggage wagons, a sergeant and Bugler Rich arrived from Newport 
News. They had been separated from the rest of the battery 
owing to the crowded condition of the boats, and taken aboard a 
boat which landed above. 

The weather cleared and the sun shone again on the 20th, 
when overcoats and blankets were hung out in the air to dry, and 
clothes washed. But another storm of rain and snow, accompa- 
nied with high winds, came up on the 22nd. Each man was again 
obliged to cook his own rations. The boats with the captain, the 
drivers and the horses arrived on the 24th. All manner of rumors 
had been circulating through the camp relative to their safety. It 
had been reported that they had gone to the bottom along with 
the horses. The storm had been very severe, and many vessels 
had been driven ashore. It had been feared that the worst had 
happened. But all apprehensions were dissipated by the appear- 
ance in camp of two of the boys, and the well-known form of the 
captain on the boats, high and dry, on a sand bank in the creek. 



120 Durell's Battery. 

They had safely reached the Roads on the 21st, just before 
the storm set in with severity. By instruction from the Fortress, 
they had gone up to Newport News expecting to find the battery 
there. On their return to Hampton, the tide at the time falling, 
their steamer ran aground on a sand bank, within half a mile of the 
camp. Both landsmen and marines (horse-marines their comrades 
dubbed them), rejoiced at the fortunate termination of the voyage. 
They were compelled to lie out in the storm until the rising of the 
tide next morning, when they came up to the landing. 

Their trip from Pratt's Land ng to the point of disembarkation 
had taken just fourteen days. It had been a very rough one. A 
portion of the time they had nothing to eat except oysters, which 
were purchased from the negroes in St Mary's Harbor. The poor 
horses looke 1 considerably worse of the experience. They had 
received but two buckets of water apiece in nine days, and not 
enough to eat. But they were in much better condition than was 
expected. 'I'hree of them died on the voyage and two shortly after 
reaching Hampton. Those that survived showed their delight at 
once more reaching terra firma. 

Both men and horses requiring rest, the battery remained at 
Hampton until the 26th. It was reported in camp that new A 
tents were to be issued as soon as the battery reached Newport 
News; that the Ninth Corps was to be broken up, one division 
to be stationed at Newport News, another at Suffolk, etc. ; that 
furloughs were to be granted, and a good time generally enjoyed. 
Already rations of fresh bread j^otatoes, ham, etc. , were being 
issued to the men. The following is from Andrew's journal under 
date of the 26th : 

" We left our camping ground about 10 o'clock A. M., and took the \'ork- 
town road. We passed by a very large peach orchard of young trees, supposed 
by us lo have been the camping ground of the 104th last sp ing. as we found a 
box marked lo a meml)er of Company I. The country is an almost level plain, 
very sandy and in places, swampy. There were quite a number of fine pine 
woods along the route. The timber is much different from that of Northern 
N'irgiiiia, the trees growing mucli higher and liaving but few limbs In appear- 
ance they rescnd)le the turpentine pine of Carolina, but are not so tail. Houses 
were scarce and built after the usual Southern style. The people appeared to 
live comfortably and their properties to have been but little disturbed. .-Vround 
all of them were tine lots of barn pheasants and porkers, but they wete non- 
comatable by us as there were too many guards around. One house appeared 
to l)e very prolific of ' femenines,' as I counted only seven grown-up girls, and 
terrii)ly ugly they were at that. The finest feature about that house was the large 
bee-gums. The road was very sandy and dry except where we passed through 



From Fredericksburg to Fortress Monroe. 121 

the pines. Without exception the woods were very swampy and the road narrow 
and full of chuck-holes. On both sides of the road could be seen the marks of 
old encampments. 

" As we neared Newport News we were visited by a little shower of warm 
rain. The first camp we approached was that of the Rhode Islanders. They are 
close to the picket lines, at least a mile from the remainder of the troops. They 
asked, as an especial favor, that they might be there in order to be away from 
the infantry. We halted here for over an hour waiting for orders where to 
encamp. These coming, we started to go into park on a knoll just below the 
Rhode Islanders. A portion of the battery got in safely, but the rest were not 
so successful. The ground was full of quick sands and into them we went. 
The carriages would sink up to the axles like a flash and appear to be sinking all 
the time. At one time horses, men and carriages were fast. These having all 
been dug out we were kept at a stand-still waiting until a better place could 
be found. As usual, or truly without fail, it always takes us a long time to find 
a camping ground, and we have a rain to fall before getting on it. Rain did 
come on us for a short time, when we received orders to take our position with 
the division along James River. 

' ' The corps is all encamped on a long level plain, reaching a great distance up 
the river. They are arranged according to the numbers of the divisions. The 
The First Division is nearest to the mouth of the river ; ours comes next and 
then the Third Division. The ground is very sandy and as level as a floor, and 
is a beautiful drill ground. Each battery is encamped along with its division. 
The First Division occupies the barracks erected last spring by the Fire Zou- 
aves ; the remainder of the troops had issued to them the little wedge, or A- 
tents. The encampments are really beautiful to us who have seen nothing for 
so long a time but the little dog-tents of men in active service. We have not as 
yet had any issued to us, but expect to have them before long. They will come 
very acceptable, as our old tarpaulins are pretty well played out, and have an 
unpleasant trick of leaking. Our camp is not as yet completed, as we are await- 
ing our new tents before fixing up. We are only a few hundred yards from the 
river, which, at this point, is over five miles in width. The day before we came 
down, a rebel steamer hove in sight some eight or ten miles up the river. The 
boats were soon after her, firing a few shots, when she left. They are always 
ready for the go, keeping steam up. We have all had plenty to do to-day, 
policing our camp and making ready for inspection and muster, which came off 
at I o'clock this afternoon. We were inspected by Lieutenant Benjamin. 
Before the inspection was over, rain commenced falling, when he sent us to our 
quarters, to be ready to answer to our names when he had inspected the other 
party which was waiting in the rain. The rain commenced pouring down about 
the time he finished murdering our names and has continued ever since. I 
have just returned from a funeral — the hostler of General Wilcox. The general 
and staff were all theie. 

" Having been away from the division so long we are now completely 
overrun with orders. Who is the kind person that has been reporting over the 
country that seventy of our men have deserted ? As a matter of justice to the 
friends at home, I would remark that we are the only battery out of the six 
which came down that has not had a deserter. Lieutenant Gries, who has been 
absent seven months on recruiting service, returned on the 27th. He looks 
well and was heartily welcomed with six roaring cheers." 



122 Durell's Battery. 

The camp at Old Point Comfort was a very pleasant one, the 
battery being located about a mile from the boat landing. The 
place was a summer resort before the war. Some of the men 
entertained hopes of remaining here throughout the coming season, 
and were anticipating the same pleasure of swimming in the James 
River that they had enjoyed in the Rappahannock the previous 
summer, (iunboats were plying up and down the river, keeping a 
watch for the Merrimac No. 2. A monitor was stationed in the 
middle of the channel in front of the camp, nothing of it being 
visible but the smokestack and turret, or "Yankee Cheese-box." 

New tents were now provided, but instead of being of the A 
pattern, they were only the wretched little "dog tents." The 
paymaster was an official whom all were eager to see at this time, 
as eight months' pay was due to the battery. Field drill, which 
had been dropped since active service began, was now resumed, 
and occupied each morning, though only two sections at a time 
could participate on account of a shortage of horses. An hoar of 
each afternoon was devoted to gun-drill. 

Captain Durell left on a short leave of absence on March 6th, 
and furloughs were soon afterward granted to Sergeant James Q. 
Irwin and Bugler Joseph M. Cuffel. John Rich was discharged 
from the service about this time in consequence of ill health. The 
camp was visited at this time by a few members of the 104th Regi- 
ment, which was stationed at Yorktown. 

All prospect of remaining for any length of time at Newport 
News was dispelled on the 17th of March, by the receipt of orders 
to move at a moment's notice. The First Division of the Ninth 
Corps broke camp on the 19th, and embarked on transports for 
Baltimore. The books, flour, potatoes and onions left in their 
old camp fell to the battery, which fared sumptuously in conse- 
quence for several days. 




The Kentucky Campaign. 123 



CHAPTER XVI. 

The Kentucky Campaign. 

GENERAL Burnside had been placed in command of the 
Middle Military Division of the West, which embraced the 
territory of the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky 
and Tennessee. He had established his headquarters in Cincin- 
nati, and requested that his old corps be transferred to his new 
command for the purpose of suppressing the guerilla warfare 
waging with bitter intensity along the southern border of Kentucky. 
He also contemplated a movement over the Cumberland Moun- 
tains for the relief of the Union men of East Tennessee. Two 
divisions of the corps were ordered to report to him, but the 
Third Division was left at Newport News. 

" Boots and Saddles " was sounded on March 23rd, when the 
battery packed up and marched back to Hampton. Here it again 
encamped among the ruins to await transportation. Early on the 
morning of the 26th it moved down to Fortress Monroe and 
embarked on the John Brooks, a large transport steamer. After 
everything belonging to the battery was loaded, the boat steamed 
up to Newport News and took on board two regiments of the 
brigade — the 51st Pennsylvania and the 35th Massachusetts. Late 
in the afternoon the boat started for Baltimore, where it arrived 
the next morning at 10 o'clock. The infantry immediately 
marched to the cars and started for the West. The battery, being 
encumbered with horses and guns, did not arrive at the railroad 
depot until evening. Here the men spread their blankets upon 
the ground for a night's rest, and were awakened at 4 o'clock the 
next morning by rain spattering their faces. In the midst of a 
heavy storm, the guns, caissons and baggage wagons were loaded 
on open cars, and the horses in cattle cars, after which the men 
were marched to the "Union Retreat" and supplied with break- 
fast. Returning to the depot, they found three freight cars con- 
taining wooden benches that had been hastily constructed for their 
accommodation. They climbed into the cars, and the train left 
Baltimore at 10 A. M. 



124 Durell's Battery. 

The route was by the Northern and Central Railroad to Har- 
risburg, the Pennsylvania Railroad to Pittsburg, and thence to Cin- 
cinnati. Citizens of the villages and towns turned out to greet the 
passing train with cheers and flags. When the Pennsylvania line 
was crossed, the boys gave three hearty cheers for their native 
State. It seemed to them a lovelier country, with better people, 
than that of the other States through which they had traveled. At 
York they were treated to a cup of hot coffee. Harrisburg was 
reached about 7 o'clock in the evening. Here several of the men 
concluded that they were in such close proximity to their homes 
that failure to visit the old folks would be regarded as gross neg- 
lect of filial duty and took " French leave." They all turned up 
in camp a few days later, in Kentucky, excejit one, who was after- 
ward reported as a deserter. 

The cars were so much crowded that when the men lay down 
upon the floor they were wedged together and lying over each 
other. The track was rough, and the freight cars did not ride 
very easy. It seemed, at times, as if the wheels were off the track 
and running over the ties. Altogether, the conditions were not 
conducive to sleep. A stop was made in the night at Mifflin where 
coffee was provided. The weather was cold and the ground was 
covered with snow. Altoonawas reached next morning. In cross- 
ing the Alleghany Mountains some of the men got on top of the 
cars for a better observation of the scenery, but the intense cold 
soon drove them l)ack to shelter. 

The train reached Pittsburgon Sunday afternoon, March 29th, 
where the battery was handsomely entertained by the people. The 
men were marched to a large hall, decorated with flags, banners 
and the inscriptions of the battles of the Ninth Army Corps, where 
they were fed with many good things. While the men were feast- 
ing on the hospitality of the kind and patriotic citizens, the horses 
were cared for and transferred, with the artillery, to cars of the 
Fort Wayne road by a force of citizens. Three passenger cars, 
with cushioned seals were also provided for the men. The citizens 
surrounded the soldiers eager tohearof their battles and campaigns, 
and bestowed every mark of respect and kindness. 

The train left Pittsburg at 10 P. M. and was in motion nearly 
all night. A long stop was made next morning at Loudonville, 
Ohio, to fasten the artillery which was loaded on open cars, for it 
had been discovered that one of the caissons had gone overboard. 
.After leaving Crestline, one of the men fell from the moving train. 



The Kentucky Campaign. 125 

and was supposed to have been killed, but he afterward turned up 
with a bruised head and back. 

Columbus was reached about 3 o'clock P. M., where the horses 
were given water and the ladies treated the soldiers to eatables, 
among other things a barrel of cakes. The train arrived at Cin- 
cinnati after midnight. Andrew's journal says : 

" Soon after sunrise we were visited by a committee on eating, and 
informed that breakfast would be prepared for us at tlie market house. We 
were unloaded, harnessed up, and ready for the meal by 9 A. M. By the delay 
occasioned in feeding three thousand infantry we were not on the track much 
before noon. If cramming was ever done it was done today, for a splendid 
entertainment was prepared. The boiled ham and bolognas of Cincinnati will 
never be forgotten. What could not be put in the inner man we were ordered 
to put in our haversacks and meditate over it at future times. After dinner was 
over we halted for a couple of hours which were very pleasantly spent. Nearly 
every passer by had some question to ask us, and the guns were surrounded by 
wondering and inquiring crowds. We were fairly burdened down with kindness, 

" About 4 P. M. we again moved oft' and crossed the Ohio on a ferry to 
Covington, where we halted near the Kentucky Central depot and awaited 
transportation until night had fallen on us We found many loyal citizens in 
this place, who were anxious to do us favors ; but as we could not leave the 
battery, we were unable to partake of their kindnesses. The moon being bright 
we commenced loading, and had all ready for moving off by midnight. Our 
accommodations were pretty good ; we were furnished with three liaggage and 
one passenger car." 

The morning of April ist dawned on the battery near 
Cynthiana. The country was beautiful. The fields were heavily 
sodded, neatly fenced or surrounded with substantial stone walls, 
and the peach trees were in blossom. The men were pleased with 
the change from the desolation of Virginia to the beautiful luxu- 
riance of Kentucky. A stop was made at Paris, at which point two 
regiments that had preceded the battery were just falling in hne 
when the train arrived. The horses and guns were unloaded, and, 
after stopping to make some coffee, the battery marched through 
the main street and went into camp at the lower end of the town. 
The reception by the citizens indicated that there was some loyalty 
in the place. The ladies made their appearance in smiles and 
waved the old hidden flags. Before everything was completed the 
camp was overrun with visitors anxious to look through it, many of 
them never before having seen a battery. 

The citizens expressed themselves much delighted at General 
Burnside having command of this department and that his old 
troops were with him. The guerillas were very troublesome along 
the Cumberland Mountain border, a band of them having visited 



126 Durell's Battery. 

the neighborhood of Paris but a few days before. There being 
church services in the town, many of the men availed themselves 
of the opportunity to attend them in the evening. 

April 2nd was a beautiful day, and the troops improved the 
time in strolling around the town. The infantry were encamped 
in the fair grounds, while the battery was near the railroad in close 
proximity to a fine stream of water. The residence of Mr. Davis, 
Senator from this State, was near by. In pursuance of orders, a 
squad of men went out on a horse hunting expedition, and returned 
with fourteen — some of them very fine animals. The last regiment 
of the brigade came in by rail. 

Marching orders were sprung on the command at 5 o'clock 
the next morning. This country took the palm in the way of 
roads — all of them being turnpikes, built by the counties. Few 
signs of loyalty were met in the day's march, which ended near 
Mount Sterling, about twenty-five miles distant from Paris. The 
residence of a Mr. Oldham was passed, who was said to be the 
strongest Union man in that section of the country. His doors 
and windows were barred and his arms kept near him always, in 
anticipation of an attack. His son, a youth of seventeen, was 
reported to be an object of especial hatred to the neighbors, who 
were said to keep a sharp watch on his movements. He had 
committed the offence of piloting the Union cavalry to the Con- 
federate camps a year before. Many loyal citizens had left the 
country and were as yet afraid to return. 

Teams were pressed into the service all along the route to 
to carry the knapsacks of the infantrymen, who were very much 
worn down. 

Night was coming on when the battery turned into park in a 
woods. The men were too tired to put up shelter, antl the whole 
command bivouacked. Orders were issued not to disturb the 
fences, as they were the property of a Union man. The tempta- 
tion, however, was too strong for that crowd of Virginia rail- 
burners ; the consec^uence was that sundry panels were smuggled 
into the different camps. Members of the Kentucky cavalry were 
met on the route. 'I'hey wore butternut suits, having, as a dis- 
tinguishing mark, one garment of blue. 'I'hey bore a marked 
resemblance to the Confederates. 

I'he command moved the next morning, passing through 
Mount Sterling. The guerillas had paid it a visit a couple of weeks 
before and burned a block of buildings. They were desirous of 




PRIVATE HORACE D. BOONE 
A DE8CENDENT OF THE KENTUCKY PIONEER 



The Kentucky Campaign. 127 

holding possession of the town, as it was the key to this portion of 
the State. The few loyal citizens remaining manifested their loyalty 
by giving the troops a hearty welcome. The battery went into 
camp about two miles from the town, on the property of a man 
by the name of Tipton, a very ardent secessionist, whose son was 
captain of the band which fired the town. The fine fence rails 
upon his place furnished good fuel for the camp-fires. The fences 
were built twelve and fourteen rails high — "pig tight, horse high 
and bull strong" — doubtless a wise precaution in that country 
where the jackass had to be taken into consideration. The raising 
of horses and mules appeared to be a specialty with the farmers of 
this part of Kentucky. The braying of the latter became a famihar 
sound to the battery while it remained in that section. The women 
generally traveled on horseback ar.d the children rode to school. 
No carriages were to be seen on the roads. 

The country round about had been eaten out by the enemy, 
and provisions and forage were therefore very scarce. A raid was 
made on Tipton's beeves, and seven of them were turned over to 
the commissary. The watchfulness of many guards was all that 
saved his sheep-pen and hog-yard from the knife of the forager. 
The camp was soon overrun by negroes, who credulously accepted 
many a marvellous yarn from the soldiers. 

Camp life became monotonous in a few days. The change 
from the bustling activity and excitement of the towns passed on 
the march to the dull routine of camp life was very great. It was 
a poor country for news, too, neither letters nor newspapers reach- 
ing the camps. There were occasional rumors of the appearance 
of the enemy in the vicinity. Two citizens came in on the 13th 
and informed the general of the location of the Confederates. 
The 2 1 St Massachusetts and 51st New York Regiments were sent 
out against them, leaving camp at midnight. The citizens piloted 
them to Sharpsburg, where the guerillas were surprised, and 174 
men and 300 horsts were captured. The battery teams went out 
frequently to scour the country for forage. 

The camp was enlivened on the 14th by the appearance of 
the paymaster, with eight months' pay, nearly ten months being 
due at the time. Captain Durell now departed for Ohio in search 
of the lost caisson that had fallen from the car during the trip 
through that State, and Lieutenant Gries was left in command of 
the battery. 



128 Durell's Battery, 

" Boots and Saddles" was sounded at midnight on the i6th, 
but it was 2 o'clock before the battery moved out of camp. After 
marching about four miles a halt was made to wait for the infantry, 
which did not come up until after daylight. The march was then 
resumed and continued into the afternoon, when Winchester was 
reached, where the command encamped for the night. The battery 
moved forward the next morning without the infantry, to Boones- 
borough, the town of Daniel Boone. It was a town in name, only 
consisting of a cluster of but three or four houses. Here the 
command was compelled to cross the Kentucky River by a ferry, 
which consumed several hours. It encamped near the river a few 
hundred yards from the spot on which Boone's cabin and log fort 
were said to have stood. A salt hck to which the deer resorted in 
Boone's time, is near by; and the water of a sulphur spring was 
sampled by the men, and the canteens filled. A very large, old 
tree, located near the spring, was pointed out as the place where 
Boone met the treacherous Indians for a parley before the great 
siege of Boonesborough, which he successfully sustained with fifty 
men for nine days against a band of four hundred chosen warriors. 

The march was resumed next day to Richmond, which was a 
town of considerable business. The battery and the 6th New 
Hampshire, of the First Brigade, encamped in the fortifications 
built by General Nelson, from which he was driven by the Con- 
federates about the time of the second Bull Run disaster. A very 
beautiful cemetery was located near by, the sexton of which proved 
to be an old Bucks Countian. The monuments were numerous 
and costly, and each plot was separated by a walk of fine broken 
stone. The graves of those who fell in the unfortunate battle at 
this place were numerous and show that it had been hotly con- 
tested. The Confederate graves outnumbered the Union, and 
were of Tennessee and Texas men. The monuments and stones 
bore the marks of the conflict, a number of them having portions 
broken off, and others being disfigured by the blue marks of flat- 
tened bullets. The fence rails were riddled, but there were no 
visible indications that artillery had been used. 

Lieutenant Christopher Leoser and Sergeant Henry Sailor, 
with five privates whose term of enlistment had exjiired, left for 
Lexington on the 23rd. I'he officers took with them a large sum 
of money, which the recent visit of the paymaster had furnished, 
and which was to be sent to tlie homes of the men by express 
Those whose term of service had expired had been transferred to 



The Kentucky Campaign. 129 

the battery from General Wadsvvorth's Excelsior Brigade, in May, 
1862. Lieutenant Loeser returned to camp the next day and re- 
ported that Captain Durell was at Lexington with the lost caisson. 
It was found at Cincinnati in bad shape. It was broken in 
many places, the boxes were in a bad condition, the powder bags 
were broken open, and a number of the projectiles were found to 
be worthless. The boys' baggage that had been attached to it 
was all gone, and they were obliged to pay for the new clothes they 
drew in place of the lost garments. Sergeant James Q. Irwin, 
with his drivers and teams, was sent to Lexington to bring the 
caisson into camp. Considerable excitement was occasioned in 
the battery over furloughs. The applications were numerous, the 
boys crowding around the captain's tent asking for them. 

On the morning of May ist orders were given to pack up and 
be prepared to move at a moment's notice. When the tents had 
all been taken down the orders were countermanded. The com- 
mand did not move until two days later. Corporals James L. Mast 
and George Douglass were reduced to the ranks at this time for 
absence without leave. Amos Bechtel and George R. Carver were 
promoted to their places. The command moved on Sunday, May 
3rd, to Paint Lick, where the battery awaited the arrival of the 
Second Brigade. Rain fell throughout the day until the tents were 
pitched, when the sun shone. The army rations at this time con- 
sisted principally of mouldy hard-tack, fat pork and coffee ; but the 
men bought many articles of food from the citizens at low prices. 
Citizens visited this camp in crowds, both out of curiosity and as 
peddlers of eatables. Dr. Cooper, one of the regimental surgeons, 
treated the sick of the battery at this time. The colored people 
came into the camp several evenings in succession, bringing their 
fiddles, and entertained the boys with a " hoe down. ' ' A church fair 
close by the camp was also an attraction which relieved the monot- 
ony of camp life. General Sturgis with the Second Brigade arrived 
on the 8th, a)nd on the loth the whole command marched to Lan- 
caster. The following is from Andrew's journal : 

" We are gradually moving toward the Tennessee line, commencing our 
marches on a Sunday, and then, after making not a full day's march, Ijing liy 
for a week, waiting for a fresh start on the next Sunday. In this country, 
where the people profess to be Christians and human Iseings, it looks to me 
decidedly wrong for us to be moving on the Sabbath, and blocking up the road 
for those who are on their way to the churches, as we did last Sunday. The 
orders must have been sprung on (ieneral Sturgis very suddenly, as we had 
only been at Paint Lick for a day, and had come from this [ilace. I understand 



i^o Durell's Battery. 

he was somewhat cross at the change of the programme. This is a verj- pretty 
country. Water is more plentiful and of excellent quality, but a little severe 
on us at first, being limestone water. The stone makes the finest kind of turn- 
pike roads. Timber is more frequently found and in greater quantity. As in 
other parts of the State, they build their fences ten rails high, and can boast 
of magnificent stone walls. On our march we discovered a Mrs. Spillman, a 
native of Bucks County, a daughter of Joseph Burroughs, formerly of Bucking- 
ham. We were in camp and fixed up by 3 P. M., having made the march of 
twelve miles between 8.30 A. M., and 2 P. M. — rather good tra%eling We 
are not a mile from the town of Lancaster, the county seat of Garrard County. 
Our camp is the most beautiful we have ever had, being a splendid succession 
of knolls covered with fine grass — just the thing for our horses. The property 
belongs to a ' secesher ' who went off with the rebels. His house was accident- 
ally burned a week or so ago, and his property was to have been sold to-day by 
the sheriflF, to satisfy some hea%-y mortgages against it. Our nearest railroad 
station is at Nicholasville, from which our supplies are drawn. The town is 
small and bears the marks of antiquity, with plenty of good looking young 
ladies and a very strong Union town. A very good thing happened there yes- 
terday. A small lad came in from the vicinity with whiskey to sell, and took it 
to the provost quarters, asking if they wanted to buy any, rightly supposing that 
shoulder straps were generally in on the whiskey question. They took his 
whiskey, poured it out, and as pay put him to working on the streets, loading 
dirt and gravel. He was kept at it all day, and when night came could hardly 
waddle home." 

A large number of citizens visited the camp. Twenty-one 
horses were brought from Lexington on the 21st, by a detail of 
men. Early on the morning of the 23rd, the battery broke camp, 
and marched to Preachersville, where a halt was made to give the 
horses water, afier which it marched on to Dick River. Here a 
halt of two days was made, during which the boys employed the 
time in fishing and bathing in the river. The brigade was sent on 
this march to reinforce the First Division, which was reported as 
fighting at Somerset ; but the division was fully able to take care of 
itself Leaving Dick River, a march of two miles brought the 
batter)' to Crab Orchard, which had been a summer resort. Here 
a turn was made and a backward course taken by a different road. 
The march was continued until 11 o'clock in the night, when the 
battery bivouacked in a woods, very tired and dusty, for there had 
been no tAu for three weeks. When they awoke next morning 
the men found their position on a hill overlooking the town of 
Stanford. Tents were pitched along the edge of the woods and a 
beautiful camp made. This part of Kentucky is supplied with 
good water flowing from numerous and strong springs. Near the 
camp was the "Cave Spring," located under a large rock, from 
which flowed a stream equal to that of a six-inch pipe. 



The Kentucky Campaign. 131 

The batten" was again with the Second Brigade, all of its 
regiments ha%nng come together, with the exception of the 51st 
New York, which left this place on the 26th. New clothing was 
issued on that day. A duel took place after '"retreat'" on the 
29th. between privates Harrison Rhoads and Stewart McAleese, of 
the battery. They had quarreled several days pre\ious while in 
line for their rations, and engaged in a tussel for precedence. Bad 
feehng resulted. Hot words were exchanged for several days, and 
a challenge to fight was finally offered and accepted. Seconds were 
chosen and the parties interested went to a secluded place in the 
edge of a woods, where the antagonists stripped to the waists and 
the fight, with bare fists, began. It was not conducted under the 
Marquis of Queensbury' s rules. It was not dixnded into ' • rounds, ' ' 
but was one prolonged ••round.'" It had not progressed ver}- far 
before McAleese, who was receiving the worst punishment, resorted 
to kicks, which, being ver}' unprofessional conduct, at once changed 
the contest into a terrible rough-and-tumble fight Finally 
McAleese caught a couple of Rhoads' fingers in his mouth, and bit 
so hard that Rhoads was compelled, in sheer agony, to surrender. 
Nearly the whole camp turned out to witness the contesL The 
officers feigned ignorance of its occurrence, but probably knew 
what was going on and winked at the affair, deciding to leave the 
men fight out their differences. There was not much crowing by 
either of the principals or their friends over the result 

Lieutenant Christopher Leoser. ha^^ng obtained leave of 
absence, started for his home in Reading on the 31st. On the 
same day. privates Hinnershotz. Bower and Dunlap were taken 
under guard to Stanford and held for court martial, for violation of 
orders ; but the command was soon after called upon to reinforce 
Grant at Vicksburg. and the men were released. 



132 Durell's Battery. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

From Kentucky to Vicksburg. 

THE Ninth Corps, with General Parke in command, was now 
ordered to proceed to the support of General Grant, who 
was besieging Vicksburg, and protect his rear from the 
Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston, who was hovering be- 
tween the Big Black River and Jackson, threatening to strike and 
raise the siege. The battery left the beautiful camp at Stanford on 
the evening of June 3rd, and marched to a point two miles north of 
Lancaster, where it bivouacked in a farmer's lane. It was called 
up at 4 o'clock the next morning and moved on, crossing the Ken- 
tucky River at Hickman's Bridge, where a halt was made for 
dinner. The hills bordering both sides of the river make it a 
beautiful spot. No wonder that General Burnside choose it for his 
headquarters. The march was resumed after dinner to Nicholas- 
ville, where the pay-roll was signed by the men. It was expected 
that the battery would take the cars at this point ; but the order 
was changed. It had now entered the " Blue Grass" region, and 
marching over the splendid roads, it was afforded a better chance 
to view this garden-spot of the United States than could be ob- 
tained from the cars. 

Reveille was sounded at 1.30 A. M. on the 5th when the 
march was continued to Lexington. The battery arrived at 10 A. 
M. and at once proceeded to the depot where its horses and guns 
were loaded on the cars. This work was completed late in the 
afternoon. The train proceeded via Frankford to Louisville, 
where it arrived at 2 o'clock the following morning. The work of 
unloading from the cars was begun at dayhght, and when it was 
completed the battery marched through the city to a boat-landing 
at its lower extremity, called Portland. After waiting a couple of 
hours, it was ordered to embark on the steamboat Commercial. 
The work of shipping the horses, and taking apart all the gun-car- 
riages and caissons, battery wagon, forge, etc., and stowing the parts 
in the Irjld of the vessel, as well as loading the baggage wagons 
and their contents, was a matter of hard work which took until mid- 



From Kentucky to Vicksburg. 133 

night. The men, greatly fatigued by the labor and from loss of 
sleep for two nights previous, laid down on the deck to slumber at 
the first opportunity. 

When they awoke in the morning they found that the boat 
was steaming down the Ohio. The Commercial was a new side- 
wheel steamer. It was considered one of the fast boats on the 
river, and was large enough to comfortably accommodate a battery 
of artillery and a regiment of infantry. She had previously trans- 
ported troops ; but, having been idle for some time, was repainted 
and fitted with a calliope, for the purpose of carrying passengers. 
She had freight and passengers aboard about to start on her trip, 
when an order came from General Burnside to get the boat ready 
for the transportation of Durell's Battery. The river is so narrow 
that objects on either shore are distinctly visible from the deck of 
a boat in the middle of the stream, and the numerous towns and 
villages which dotted both banks were presented to view like the 
shifting scenes of a panorama as the boat ghded by toward the 
' ' Father of Waters. ' ' A stop was made at Canelton for coal, 
where the men took the opportunity to run into town to purchase 
provisions. At this point the gunboat Monarch was passed, stuck 
on a sand bar. 

A stop was also made at Evansville, Indiana, the next morn- 
ing, and during the day at several other points, to coal, etc. The 
boat laid over all night at the mouth of the Cumberland River on 
account of sand bars. Here the Commercial fastened alongside a 
boat loaded with Confederate prisoners, one of whom was a ven- 
triloquist, and furnished quite an amusing entertainment. The 
steamer started again at day break on the 9th, and touched at 
Paducah at 6 A. M. It was here that General Grant began his 
operations against the Confederates. Cairo was reached at 1 1 
A. M., where forage for the horses and provisions for the men were 
taken on. Everything was in readiness for a fresh start in the 
evening, but the boat was ordered to wait for General Parke, who 
had been placed in command of the Ninth Corps, so the departure 
was not made until the next morning. This gave the men an 
opportunity to visit the city. It was principally composed of small 
frame buildings, located on low, wet ground, and presented a very 
unprepossessing and uninviting appearance. 

It was nearly noon on the loth when the boat left Cairo, after 
which it was soon plowing the bosom of the Mississippi, passing 
the battle grounds of Belmont, Ky. ; New Madrid, Mo., and other 



134 



Durell'r Battery, 



points made interesting by the events of the war. At Island No. 
lo, which General Pope had besieged and captured the year before, 
the Commercial was halted by a gunboat to report, as every passing 
craft was compelled to do. Island No. lo did not appear to be a 
very formidable stronghold, and very little could be seen of the 
fortifications. Next came Fort Wright and other fortifications — in 
fact, the banks of the Mississippi are thickly dotted with points 
that have been the scene of active operations at some time during 
the rebellion. 

On the nth, Fort Randolph, Fort Pillow (where later the 
colored troops were massacred) and other points of interest were 
passed, and Memphis was reached at noon, where a stop was made. 
A stroll into the city impressed one with its large and substantial 
l)uildings, and its beauty of lawn and foliage. It had evidently 
been a place of considerable business At this time, however, 
there seemed to be Uttle trade going on, and that pertaining to war 
only. There was an air of aristocratic bearing in the appearance 
of many of the private houses. The inhabitants were all strongly 
in sympathy with the secession cause. The streets were filled with 
Union soldiers and marines. Cotton, which had been its chief 
article of commerce, but now declared contraband of war, was seen 
stacked in piles at every turn. The city was under the ban of war, 
and in complete subjection to military authority. 

In the evening Colonel Hartranft's 51st Regiment Pa. Vols., 
boarded the Commercial. That regiment had left Nicholasville, 
Ky. , by rail, and traveled via Cincinnati to Cairo, where it took a 
small boat for Memphis. The battery welcomed the regiment 
which had been its support in nearly every battle in which it had 
been engaged, though the additional number circumscribed the ac- 
commodations on the boat. Early on the 12th the whole fleet, 
carrying the troops of the Ninth Corps left Memphis together. In 
advance proceeded the Imperial, the flag boat, next came the Com- 
mercial, followed by a dozen or more other boats. The pilot 
houses on the boats had to be protected in some way from the 
guerillas who infested both shores of the river, and fired on the 
river craft when they could do so with safety to themselves. Most 
of the pilots were protected by pieces of iron boilers, six or seven 
feet in height, of which one piece formed a semi-circle. A piece 
was put on either side of the wheel, the pilot standing in the con- 
cave of the half boiler, which made him pretty safe against bullets, 
but not from cannon shot. Two ])ieccs of the battery's cannon 



From Kentucky to Vicksburg. 135 

had been kept on deck ready for use. The bow of the boat 
was cleared, bales of hay were placed on it for protection, and 
the t»vo guns posted behind the improvised fortification, in readi- 
ness to answer any attack that might come from the shore. Two 
gunboats of the " Mosquito fleet " escorted the transports past the 
most dangerous points ; but they were not molested in any way. 
All the towns on both shores from Memphis to Vicksburg had been 
burned or destroyed, for they had offered shelter to the guerillas 
and given them every opportunity to fire on the boats with im- 
punity. The latter bore the marks of many well-directed cannon 
shots. The pilothouses of some and the wheel houses of others 
had been struck and in some instances badly shattered. 

A stop was made at Helena, Arkansas, where General Pren- 
tice's command was lying. The Western soldiers flocked to the 
wharf as the fleet approached, and, upon learning that it bore 
troops of the Ninth Army Corps, began to guy the Eastern men 
in very uncomplimentary terms. The Eastern men repHed in sim- 
ilar terms, until the blood on both sides was stirred, when the 
generals engaged in the battle of words. General Prentice ordered 
the boats to loose and move off, to which General Ferrero, from 
the deck of the Commercial, replied that they would move only by 
orders from the commander of the fleet. This incident showed 
that the feeling between the Western and Eastern troops was not 
very fraternal. The Western men were taught, however, before 
the Ninth Corps returned east, to treat the Eastern troops with 
more respectful consideration. 

Helena was a sad looking town. It had been destroyed by 
fire, and a few shanties had been built to chimneys which remained 
standing. The first colored troops were seen at this place. They 
were encamped along the river bank below Helena, and viewed the 
passing fleet with evident interest. They greeted the Eastern men 
in a more courteous manner than their white comrades in arms 
had done. The fleet stopped during the night at the mouth of 
the White River. All the land along the Mississippi appeared to 
be swamp ; nothing but woods and canebrake were visible, save a 
plantation now and then. The paymaster came on board the 
Commercial during the night of the 12th and gave the battery two 
months' pay, which would have been more gladly received at Nich- 
olasville, where he was expected. 

The fleet moved slowly down the river on the morning of the 
13th, escorted by several gunboats, which kept on the alert for 



136 Durell's Battery. 

guerillas. They would have had the advantage of position on the 
high banks, and the boats, crowded with men, would have been 
easy marks. One accurate shot might kill a large number of men. 
Fortunately, none of the enemy appeared. Late in the evening 
the fleet anchored at Milliken's Bend, where the sound of the can- 
nonading at Vicksburg, twenty miles down the river, was heard. 

On the morning of the 14th the men awoke to find that the 
fleet, which had left Milliken's Rend during the night, was within 
sight of Sherman's Landing, and, on rounding a bend a little later, 
the first view of Vicksburg was obtained, off in the distance on a 
high bluff, with the Federal guns and mortars bombarding the city. 
The transports drew up to Sherman's Landing and the troops 
immediately began to disembark. The landing was located on the 
Louisiana side, near the canal or famous "cutoff" in front of 
Vicksburg The weather was very hot and the batterymen had 
hard work to get all of the guns, ammunition chests, etc. , out of 
the hold of the vessel and carry them ashore. It was late in the 
afternoon when the work was finished and a farewell was bidden to 
the good boat Commercial. Her crew were unanimous in their 
praise of Durell's command as having been the best behaved sol- 
diers they had carried, and the cook treated the boys to a cup of 
good soup as a send-off. 

The battery marched over the bottom land through canebrake 
and bad roads It was after 9 o'clock when camp was made. 
One of the baggage wagons had upset into a mud-hole, and all the 
cannoneers were commanded to go back to the scene of the disaster 
and extricate the concern. It was nearly midnight when they 
returned to the l)attery, and, being too tired to pitch tents, they 
spread the tarpaulins and blankets on the ground and lay down to 
sleep. The command was called up at 4 o'clock the next morning, 
and marched about two miles over an old corduroy road, through 
a woods, to Carthage. Here some time was spent in waiting to be 
ferried across the river to Warrenton. While waiting some of the 
boys, having procured lines, fished from the banks of the Missis- 
sippi, and several large Ituffalo and catfish rewarded their piscato- 
rial efforts 

A few regiments of infantry and a portion of Benjamin's Bat- 
tery had been ferried across the river, when the orders were coun- 
termanded and they returned. The battery then went into park 
in an old cotton field near by. When the tents were pitched and 
every prei)aration to enjoy their shelter was cinnpleted, one of the 



From Kentucky to Vicksburg. 137 

men discovered a snake near his tent. It was quickly killed and 
found to be a cotton-mouth moccasin — deadly poisonous. This 
discovery caused no little apprehension in the camp and everybody 
was on the lookout for snakes. The call for "boots and saddles " 
came as a welcome relief from the unpleasant ntuation, soon after 
supper, when the men gladly moved out of "Camp Cotton-field." 
The quarters, which had just been finished, were soon taken down 
and the battery marched back over the corduroy road and slept on 
the same ground that it had occupied the night before. 

Reveille was sounded at sunrise on the i6th, and after break- 
fast the battery marched to Sherman's Landing, where it embarked 
on the steamer John H. Dickey. It took several hours of hard 
work to put the horses, cannon, caissons, baggage wagons, etc., 
aboard. The artillery carriages were not taken apart and stowed 
away in the hold of the boat as they had been on the trip down 
the river. The two 51st regiments of the brigade were also loaded 
on the same boat. Steaming a short distance up the Mississippi, 
the boat reached the mouth of the Yazoo River up which stream it 
passed to Snyder's Bluff The Confederate General Albert Sydney 
Johnston's plantation was passed on the trip up the Yazoo. A 
heavy thunder storm, accompanied by hail, came up and com- 
pletely drenched the infantry which occupied the hurricane deck ; 
hail stones of large size pelting them furiously. The troops re- 
mained on the boat all night, and, being closely packed, had very 
poor sleeping accommodations. Some of the batterymen got fair 
places by crawling under the artillery carriages. 




138 Durell's Battery, 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

The Mississippi Campaign. 

T^ AIN was still falling on the morning of the 17th, when the 
J.\ troops disembarked and labored up the steep and slippery 
bluff. Colonel Hartranft detailed three companies of his 
51st Regiment to assist the battery in puUing the artillery up the 
steep and muddy slope to the plane above. Horses could barely 
make the ascent with no load but their harness. The battery was 
now upon ground which Grant had captured from the enemy. 
Snyder's Bluff, and Haine's Bluff, a short distance above, had 
been strongly fortified by the Confederates and manned with heavy 
guns, which were now lying dismantled on the works. Grant's 
movement in the rear of the enemy had compelled him to abandon 
them and seek refuge in the inner line of fortifications around 
Vicksburg. 

When everything was ashore and in readiness, the march was 
taken up, passing through the camps of a division of Western 
troops. The route was between large hills, each possessing its 
rifle-pits and earthworks. Good camping grounds were very hard 
to find. The battery was assigned to a miserable corn-field on 
Wood's plantation, about two miles from the landing. At this 
season of the year, and just after a heavy rain, it was not a very 
inviting camp ground. The tents and baggage were as yet behind 
and the weather was hot. The inconvenience to the men was con- 
siderably heightened by fears of a thunder storm coming on. 
Every style of vermin was found here, from wood-ticks and fleas 
up to snakes. One good thing was enjoyed, however. Very good 
water was at hand — that is, good for that country. It was some- 
what insipid — nothing like the waters of Kentucky. But such as 
it was, all were thankful for it, after subsisting for two weeks on 
river water. 

The Ninth Corps was established at Mill Dale, about twelve 
miles in rear of Vicksburg, where the troops were set to work in 
digging rifle-pits and cutting away the woods for the protection of 
Grant's rear against a Confederate army under Johnston, which 
was now assuming a threatening attitude. In a few days miles of 



The Mississippi Campaign. 139 

pits and field works were constructed and whole forests slashed 
away. The corps headquarters were established in Mr. Wood's 
house, and those of the brigade in a nice white frame Episcopal 
church, known as Baker's Chapel. It had been used by the 
enemy as a hospital. 

The following is taken from Andrew's journal : 

June iStli. — " A great commotion during the night towards Vicksburg — 
the heavy guns being at work. The doctor came over this morning and had a 
large number of patients, the majority of the cases being diarrhoea — some of 
them rather troublesome. The troops are very imprudent in the use of water, 
this warm weather keeping us continually thirsty, and the water having but little 
tendency to quench it. Our teams arrived to-day and we have put up our tents, 
yet we suffer terribly from the heat. I cannot imagine how the men in the 
trenches stand this hot weather. Every hill is being ornamented with works. 
Over 5000 men are detailed every day to work on them ; the work goes on day 
and night. Madame Rumor says that the enemy made a sortie and attempted 
to break through our lines. 

June igth. — " Had our first mail out this morning. This has been a regu- 
lar sweltering day — no place where cool air could be found. The pioneers of 
the different regiments have been employed to-day in opening a number of 
graves or mounds supposed to contain arms and ordnance. Some were found 
to contain dead bodies, others had camp and garrison equipage, and even am- 
muniiion, in them. Large numbers of tents have been found concealed in the 
different thickets. We are now luxuriating on berries and wild plums which 
grow here in great abundance. These latter are very much in the nature of the 
miser plum, that made a stir among our fruit-growers a few years ago. Our 
cavalry returned to-day from an expedition forty miles out, without hearing of or 
seeing an enemy. 

June 20lh. - " Another hot day, unpleasantly so. We have threats of a 
thunder shower every day, but none come. We were all awakened about 3 
A. M. by a dreadful cannonading in the direction of Vicksburg. It continued 
until after 7 A. M. We supposed that another sortie was attempted. The 
ground fairly shook. The firing is still going on to-night. Very little fighting 
is done during the day. ( )ur company name has again been changed. We are 
now known as Battery 1), Independent Pennsylvania Artillery." 

On the 19th it was announced hat First Lieutenant Lemuel 
Crries had resigned and would immediately return to his home in 
Reading. Poor health was the cause of his resignation. On the 
20th the left section of the battery, under command of Lieutenant 
George W. Silvis, was detailed to go with the 36th Massachusetts, 
of the First Division, to the out-posts, where it reheved Western 
troops and took position on a cross roads. Water was two miles 
distant. A supply of a barrel at a time was occasionally sent out 
to the detached section from the camp of the battery. In a few 
days a redoubt was built in which the two guns were posted. The 



140 Durell's Battery. 

camp was located near a group of old plantation buildings, a por- 
tion of the barn being torn down to make room for the fortification. 
Blackberries and wild plums were in abundance ; also new corn 
good for roasting in the camp fires. 

The inhabitants of the plantation were an old man and his 
family. The old gentleman had been "secesh," but seeing the 
fruits of rebellion, was now inclined to be Union. He had a wife 
and two daughters. His wife was in very ill health and on the last 
night of the section's stay in that position, one of its members went 
twice for the doctor. The oldest daughter was married and said 
that her husband and two brothers were in Lee's army. Two of 
them were conscripted and the other volunteered for fear of also 
being taken. The citizens were very poHte and kind, and minis- 
tered to the Union sick. They said that the Eastern troops treated 
them and their property with greater consideration than the Western 
troops had shown. 

The out-post was soon reinforced by a brigade of infantry, 
which was set to work building intrenchments, and in a few days a 
strong line was completed, facing the direction from which the 
enemy was expected to approach. The camp of the artillerists was 
located in a barn yard, thickly infested with fleas, which made life 
miserable for the men. A smudge fire, built at the windward end 
of the tent, kept away the mosquitoes, which were also very plen- 
tiful, but nothing could be devised to ward off the pesky little flea. 
They were most troublesome at night, when one wanted to sleep. 
The camp was frequently kept in a state of excitement the greater 
part of the night by their relentless onslaughts, causing the men to 
prance about in the gloom like so many ghosts. It was a country 
prolific with insects of all descriptions. It abounded in plump 
mosquitoes, sand-flies, beetles, bugs, ants, worms of all kinds, 
ticks, and in fact almost anything in the insect line that was needed 
for the formation of a cabinet of Nature's tiniest works. It was 
rugged, consisting of ravines, gorges, hills, chffs and bluffs. Much 
of it was at that time covered with canebrakes, blackberry briars 
and underbrush, that afforded harbor to venomous reptiles, such 
as snakes, green and gray Uzards, stingarees, etc. , which abounded 
in great numbers. 'I'here was not a man of the command, after 
an inspection of the country, but was ready to affirm, that if a 
landed proj)rieter were to offer him a farm, of any size, gratis, with 
a promise that he should reside thereon, would have unhesitatingly 
declined the offer. 




GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT 



The Mississippi Campaign. 141 

Sanitary orders were issued to all the troops against' the 
scourge of yellow fever, with which they were threatened. The 
orders warned them against unnecessary exposure to the scorching 
rays of the sun, or to the damp and chilly night air ; to use no 
water for drinking or culinary purposes other than that obtained 
from wells and springs in which barrels or boxes were sunk for the 
purpose of guarding them against any uncleanly matter iinding its 
way into the water. They were recommended to bathe their per- 
sons at least twice a week. All very good advice, but water was 
too scarce to comply with the sanitary rules. 

The men gathered daily large quantities of blackberries, which 
were in abundance, and wild plums, which were just sweet enough, 
when fully ripe, to be pronounced excellent. On the 29th the 
infantry moved out to the front. The main portion of the battery 
came up and joined the left section, which was soon ordered forward 
with the First Brigade of the First Division, and encamped near 
White Oak Church, about five miles in advance of the left section, 
which remained in the intrenchments. The next day the battery 
was mustered for two months' pay. Preparations for active service 
were made apparent by the heavy wagon trains coming into the 
camps, loaded with forage and provisions, and orders to the troops 
to be ready to move on short notice, with five days' rations — three 
cooked and two raw. 

Word reached camp on the evening of July 3rd that General 
Grant's army was to assault Vicksburg in the morning. The 
artillerists were in the performance of routine duties on the morn- 
ing of the 4th, and eating blackberries and plums, when informa- 
tion arrived that Pemberton had surrendered to Grant at 10 
o'clock, with 23,000 prisoners, 200 guns — of which 100 were 
siege guns — and a large number of small arms. Inhere was great 
rejoicing over the news and salutes were fired in celebration of the 
event. At 3.30 P. M. the left section moved out of the fortifica- 
tion in search of the battery, and joined it about 10 o'clock that 
night in a corn field. The weather was excessively hot and the 
roads were deep with dust. The men were very much fatigued 
and were glad to he down on the rough corn field, poor as the 
accommodations were. 

The next morning the battery moved to a green spot on the 
banks of a creek near by, but marching orders were received early 
in the afternoon, when it moved to within two miles of the Big 
Black River. Cannonading was heard to the front during the 



142 Durell's Battery. 

evening. It was held in readiness to start early in the morning of 
the 6th, but no movement was made until noon, when the men 
were obliged to leave their coffee in the haste to be off. The 
march was continued to the banks of the Big Black, where another 
encampment was made in a corn field to await the completion of a 
bridge on which to cross that stream, which was receiving the 
finishing touches of the engineer corps. A small body of John- 
ston's troops had contested the crossing of the stream in the 
morning, but were driven away. The Union loss was one killed 
and ten wounded. 

Called up at 3 o'clock the next morning, the battery stood, 
with horses hitched, until 6 P. M., awaiting orders to move. The 
bridge was a rough, log structure, hastily built, and had a very inse- 
cure appearance. The stream was swollen by a heavy thunder 
shower of the previous night and its current was deep and swift. 
Benjamin's, Romer's and Edwards' Batteries had crossed, followed 
by five pieces and four caissons of Durell's ; but when the fifth 
caisson reached the middle of the bridge, the structure suddenly 
gave way, and two horses, with Joseph Lear, the driver, and half 
a dozen knapsacks strapped to the ammunition chests and spare 
wheel went down with the caisson. The lead and swing teams had 
been detached to lighten the weight, the pole team only being left 
to pull each artillery carriage over the bridge. Driver Lear was 
saved by grasping hold of and clinging to a log, until he was res- 
cued by a canoe, which was pushed out into the stream to his 
assistance. The horses struggled in the deep water, their heads 
now and then coming to the surface in vain efforts to extricate 
themselves from the heavy harness which held them fast. Captain 
Durell drew his revolver upon them and speedily ended the suffer- 
ing of the poor creatures. It was impossible to recover the caisson, 
which was heavily loaded with ammunition. One piece, one cais- 
son, the battery wagon, the forge and the baggage wagons were 
still on the other side of the stream and did not overtake the bat- 
tery until some days afterward. 

The battery bivouacked on the banks of the river from which 
it was aroused at 1 1 o'clock by " Boots and Saddles," in the midst 
of a terriffic thunder storm and ordered to catch up with the other 
batteries of the corps which had proceeded on the march. The 
darkness was intensely black, so that nothing but the continual 
flashes of lightning made it possible to see the road. Rain 
poured in pitiless torrents and the clay soil became so shppery as 



The Mississippi Campaign. 143 

to make marching exceedingly difificult. The road wound from 
the river up a steep and long hill and the storm raged with renewed 
fury while the command was ascending it. A bolt of lightning 
struck a large tree a few hundred yards from the marching column, 
dazing man and beast to temporary bhndness. It appeared as 
though sparks of fire flew forth from every bianch and twig of the 
tree. The horses were paralyzed with fear and refused to move. 
The hames on one of the pole teams broke and the heavy caisson 
ran back into the team next to it and caused something of a crash 
and considerable confusion. Fortunately it was backed off against 
a bank on the roadside and after some work and much profanity, 
the harness was repaired and the column finally reached the crest 
of the hill. 

At I o'clock in the morning the command overtook the other 
batteries, the men of which were sleeping under shelter. Durell 
was ordered to halt in the road until 3 o'clock, when the other 
batteries would be called up to resume the march. The rainfall 
continued until nearly daylight and the men were chilled with wet 
clothing. Many of them dropped down into the fence corners 
and on the banks of the roadside and were soon asleep, while those 
who could find room took refuge in a cotton gin, where Edwards' 
batterymen were quartered. 

The column of batteries moved forward at dayhght, came up 
with the infantry at 8 o'clock and encamped. Water was very 
scarce, there being no springs whatever between the Big Black 
River and Jackson. Dwellings were supplied by rain conducted 
from the roofs of the buildings into cemented cisterns. Nearly 
every house was deserted by its owner, and in many instances tar, 
turpentine, ashes and other offensive matter had been thrown into 
the cisterns before they fled. An occasional stream found on the 
march was polluted by dead animals. A pond near the plantation 
buildings, supplied by the rains, furnished water for the live stock. 
This water was stagnant and frequently covered with green scum. 
In the absence of anything better, canteens were filled with the 
miasmatic liquid. Water from the ditches during a shower was 
freely used. Orders were issued for each company to capture a 
mule for the purpose of carrying water during the march and pend- 
ing battle. It was not long after the order was given before the 
boys were leading into the lines mules by the dozen, which 
proved a valuable means of keeping up the supply of water, which 
had to be brought from great distances. 



144 Durell's Battery. 

The country was principally settled by wealthy planters, who 
had fine houses and furniture. They were now despoiled by van- 
dalism. Both sides of the road were strewn with all manner of 
plunder — old clothes, pieces of furniture, bedding, iron pots, 
dutch ovens, letters, books, etc. 

The prospect of food for the men and horses was anything 
but cheering, everything being left on the other side of the river 
when the bridge collapsed. On investigating some log buildings 
near the camp enough corn for a couple of days' feeding was 
found, and the commissary issued the battery two days' rations. 
The lady residing opposite the camp said that Johnston's men had 
been there the day previous, and that they had done her more 
injury than the Union troops had inflicted. 

The march was again resumed m the afternoon. The coun- 
try now passed through was in a better state of cultivation. The 
buildings were neat and had every appearance of comfort and 
luxury. The negro quarters belonging to some of the plantations 
would make respectable villages. Very few negro men were seen, 
they having been carried off when the owners left their property to 
the mercy of the Yankees. Night came on, yet there was light 
enough from the burning cotton houses that had been fired by the 
Western troops in advance. Soon after sundown the house of Joe 
Davis, Jeff's brother, was passed. He had left a few days before, 
taking with him several hundred slaves. A dash for his cistern 
was made by the batterymen, but the water had been spoiled. 
The house was elegantly furnished with two fine pianos, etc. , a 
large library strewed around ; deserted in a hurry hke all others 
that had been passed. Some infantrymen thumped upon the pianos 
for a while and ended the performance by a charge of bayonets 
upon the instruments. This house was fired by the troops in the 
rear before the battery had gone half a mile from it. The com- 
mand bivouacked about ii P. M., in a potato patch. No water 
could be found, so the poor horses and men had to do without for 
the night. 

Reveille was sounded at 4 o'clock on the morning of the 9th. 
The horses were watered out of a dirty puddle that was discovered 
some distance from the bivouac. The men were put to great 
straits to find drinking water, and with which to make coffee. A 
few puddles were found in the woods, yellowish in color, rather 
poor, but eagerly taken. Some of the men discovered small fish 
in their coffee that morninsj. A raid was made on the first house 



The Mississippi Campaign. 145 

reached after the march began, for water. It was deserted, and 
the cisterns, three in number, befouled with coal oil, as the negroes 
said, " put in to make the water good." This house was soon 
afterward burned 

The main road was but little followed, the plantation routes 
through the woods and military roads across the fields being gener- 
ally taken. A number of deserters joined the column, and were 
very desirous of getting away from the clutches of the Confederates. 
The whole route of march showed that this part of the confederacy 
had fulfilled to the letter Davis' proclamation to plant corn, fur 
every available piece of ground was covered with that crop. 

A short halt was made near the town of Clinton where pretty 
good water was obtained. The property upon which the stop was 
made belonged to a man from Pennsylvania, who had been in the 
Confederate army and was wounded before Richmond. A pair 
of crutches was his pension for disloyalty. His daughter, or wife, 
amused herself by going one eye on the troops through a crack in 
the curtain. Moving a short distance, another halt was made in a 
hot corn field, to rest and make coffee. The column was gradu- 
ally nearing the enemy, for cannonading was heard toward evening. 
The day was very hot and unpleasant, the i6th Corps, which 
was in advance, fired a number of buildings. A dozen fires could 
be seen at one time in different directions. About 9 P. M., the 
Ninth Corps went into bivouac, as the road in front was blocked, 
two corps having met on the same road. There was great difficulty 
in getting water. 

Firing was distinctly heard on the morning of the loth. There 
were but four miles more to Jackson, where Johnston was en- 
trenched. The Ninth Corps emerged from the woods and corn 
fields into an open country, and, unfurling the flags marched for- 
ward ready at any moment to form into hne of battle. The whole 
corps with its artillery, glistening bayonets and waving flags could 
be seen from an eminence on entering the Pearl River valley, and 
presented an imposing scene. When it approached within two 
miles and a half of Jackson, the columns halted and dispositions 
were made for battle. The skirmishers advanced, and soon their 
rifles were heard cracking for they had found the enemy. 

The battery moved a short distance and awaited orders to 
take position. Benjamin was in position and fired one round. 
About 5 P. M. the enemy was driven from his position near the 
insane asylum and Durell advanced a little further, The planta- 



146 Durell's Battery. 

tion on which the halt was made was well planted with every kind 
of army stores — corn, beans, potatoes, etc., from which the men 
gathered a supply for pressing need. A great fire was seen in the 
direction of the city, supposed to be the burning of the enemy's 
army stores. One horse died and five gave out with heat, all hav- 
ing attacks of mad staggers. The battery contingent which had 
been detained by the breaking of the bridge came up in the night. 

At daylight on the nth, the battery, which had been awaiting 
orders all night to take position, moved to the asylum, located 
about one and a half miles from the city. Here the other batteries 
were found engaged in cooking breakfast. Durell posted his guns 
in a peach orchard near the building. The asylum was a fine, 
large building, situated in ample and rather tastefully laid out 
grounds. It contained about 150 patients. Skirmishing was kept 
up throughout the day. The enemy fired a few cannon shots — one 
at the battery, which passed over, the others falling short — one 
richochetting and injuring a horse for Edwards. His fire was prin- 
cipally directed on the line of infantry in advance, on which he 
used canister. 

A number of prisoners were brought in from the front, who 
expressed surprise that the Ninth Corps was there, they having 
heard that it was merely on the way. An aide to one of their 
generals was caught in his own trap. He advanced and called to 
the Yankees to cease firing, as they were shooting into their own 
men. He was halted and captured, and presented a dejected ap- 
pearance as he was marched off a prisoner. The weather was very 
hot, and the peach trees afforded but scant shade. The infantry 
suffered terribly from the effects of the heat, a number of them 
being stricken down by the sun. The enemy had a decided advan- 
tage in being posted in the timber. He was well protected with 
forts and long lines of rifle pits. The Union troops showed every 
kind of daring, the tree- tops being filled with riflemen watching for 
a " Johnny " to show his head. The batterymen engaged in cook- 
ing potatoes which were dug from the asylum grounds, but the fun 
was soon stopped by the guards who were put on the property to 
protect it from depredations. 

On the morning of the 12th the right and left sections of the 
battery were ordered to harness and hitch up horses in readiness 
to move into earth works erected on the hill during the night, but 
after Benjamin and Edwards had gone in, it was discovered that 
there was not room for any more guns, so Durell was ordered to 



The Mississippi Campaign. 147 

remain under the protection of the peach trees. The picket lines 
kept up a heavy fire during the night until nearly daylight. About 
6 o'clock the musketry fire became heavy and continued for half an 
hour. The enemy, thinking that the Union line had fallen back, 
ventured from his entrenchments to within a short distance of the 
Union line when he was driven back with considerable loss. The 
Western batteries to the left opened their guns and fired with great 
rapidity. Benjamin and Edwards opened also, so warmly that 
Durell's men were in danger from Benjamin's imperfect ammuni- 
tion, which was breaking rather close instead of passing overhead 
as it was intended it should do. 

After the storm of battle had passed and a normal state of af- 
fairs had again settled along the lines, the men spent the time as 
best they could ; some by sleeping, others by talking with the 
inmates of the asylum. Some of the latter, especially the women, 
were very bitter on Yankees. Very little firing was heard after 
meridian, when the Union troops fell back about 300 yards. The 
battery was ordered to vacate the grounds to let the infantry have 
them to watch the ravines and be ready for the enemy should he 
make an assault. Durell's guns were then posted on a vacant lot 
in rear of the asylum. 

The engineer of the institution remarked that with the loss of 
Mississippi the Confederacy would collapse, and that he could 
hardly believe that Vicksburg had fallen. He said that the high 
prices for everything was ruining them. Flour was $80 per barrel, 
and hard to get at that. His wife had given $15 for a pair of shoes 
for his daughter, aged 17 years, and $21 for seven yards of calico. 
She had tried to purchase a pair of gaiters for herself in Jackson, 
but could get none under $35. Though he had never known 
money to be so plentiful, it was not worth much. 

At daylight on the 13th the command was ordered to be 
ready to move, as the enemy was massing his troops on the leit 
with the intention of attempting to break out, or of evacuating. 
The pickets were engaged and the enemy was using his artillery on 
the Union skirmishers and shelling the woods. An hour later there 
was a lull in the battle when orders were issued to unharness and 
remain quiet for the present. The horses were given water, but 
there was no feed on hand for them. Three more of these faith- 
ful creatures were lost during the night by the staggers, among 
them the renowned "General Burnside. " 



148 Durell's Battery. 

The next day the teams went out in search of forage and 
returned with a lot of oats in the sheaf. An hospital was impro- 
vised for the equines, as many of them were sick and under the 
doctor's care. A number of men were receiving instructions as 
horse doctors, for many of them were always on hand when a horse 
needed bleeding. 

The enemy seemed to be anxious to find where the troops 
were posted, for he shelled around during the day in various direc- 
tions to draw the Union fire. One of his random shots passed 
over the battery camp and fell beyond in the woods. Another 
went through the walls of the upper story of the asylum, creating 
the wildest confusion and terror among the inmates, but no one 
was hurt. The troops were now put on half rations, being notified 
that such would be the case until the 20th, by which time the rail- 
road would be opened. 

In the afternoon Johnston sent over a flag of truce asking 
permission to bury his dead. General Smith conferred with the 
truce officer and six hours were given. The general reported that 
he had seen the most ludicrous sight when out that he had ever 
witnessed : Union troops seated in arm chairs, rocking chairs, lying 
on sofas and on carpets spread on the ground, fighting the enemy. 

Sergeant Sailor's piece was sent up to Benjamin's Battery and 
ordered to fire into the city at intervals of ten minutes throughout 
the night, taking the cupola of the State house as the target. 
Sergeant Bouse' s piece was also taken to the same position the next 
morning and opened upon the city, the Confederates replying with 
an occasional shot. The cisterns in the vicinity having been 
drained, water had to be hauled a mile. Lieutenant Leoser 
returned from leave of absence, bringing with him newspapers 
which gave an account of the battle of Gettysburg. 

The battery was called up at i o'clock on the morning of the 
1 6th, with orders to harness and be ready to move at any moment. 
Infentry marched by to the front at daylight, and Steel's Division 
of the 1 6th Corps passed up the road to the left to meet an attack 
of the enemy's cavalry expected from that quarter. The battery 
stood hitched up until noon, and hitched and unhitched the horses 
several times during the afternoon. Heavy cannonading opened 
on both sides early in the morning. The enemy sent three shots 
through the asylum, wounding one of the patients. A number 
were fired at the section stationed with Benjamin, all rather short, 
with the exception of one, which struck in the midst of the bat- 



The Mississippi Campaign. 149 

tery, between the line of pieces and caissons, throwing dirt in 
every direction. Another passed over, upsetting the breakfast of 
some infantry in the rear. The shots were 64 pounder percussion 
shell, filled with mud, the powder having been taken out. The 
musketry fire was very heavy during part of the forenoon. In the 
afternoon the enemy directed a fusilade with his artillery, wasting 
ammunition, and accomplishing nothing perceptible. All was 
quiet along the hnes on the morning of the 17th, and it was early 
ascertained that the enemy had left. The first and third pieces 
were the only guns of the battery actually engaged in this eight 
days' siege, Sergeant Sailor's piece firing eighty-four shots and 
Sergeant Bouse' s about the same number. 

All night Sherman heard the sound of wagons, but nothing to 
indicate evacuation, for the picks and shovels were at work till 
midnight. The Confederates had burned all the bridges over 
Pearl River in retreating and removed the war material in advance 
of the retreat by means of the railroad running east. 

The discovery of the evacuation was made in this wise : At 2 
o'clock in the morning the 51st Pennsylvania, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Schall commanding (Colonel Hartranft then commanding the 
brigade), was taken down a deep ravine and placed on picket 
within a few yards of the enemy's rifle-pits. As soon as day began 
to dawn, Captain George W. Bisbing, of Company I, concluded to 
to feel the position. As the regiment was ignorant of the ground, 
the captain went outside of the rifle-pits to make an individual 
reconnoisance, and found the pits empty. The enemy had evacu- 
ated them about an hour before the discovery. 

The Second Brigade was the first to enter the city and plant 
the colors upon the dome of the capital. 

'* It was a matter for much congratulation," says Lieutenant Colonel 
Schall, in the Histoiy of the ^ist Pennsylvania^ '' that the Ninth Corps was the 
first to enter the city. The Western troops felt much mortified, and said that 
their Eastern comrades were too fast ; that they had advanced without orders, 
and like pleas for their tardiness. Some of the Ninth Corps men took especial 
delight in teasing the Western men for the jibes and sneers cast at them when 
they first joined the Vicksburg army. As they moved toward the State house, 
regiment after regiment, some would hail them with, ' Boys, you're too late; the 
whiskey is all gone ; the Ninth Corps got all of it over an hour ago. ' This grated 
harshly on their ears— not the matter of whiskey— but the fact of the Ninth 
Corps getting first into Jackson. They could not, however, with these facts 
before them, resist the temptation to tease the Ninth Corps men with their want 
of success in the East, and their constant retreats, etc. Whenever they did, 
they received the following sharp repartee : ' Never mind, boys ; we walked 
into Jackson while you were lying asleep in the bushes and firing at imaginary 
rebels.' " 



150 Durell's Battery. 

The Western men had hailed the Ninth Corps with such terms 
as, " All quiet along the Potomac?" " Band-box and paper-col- 
lar soldiers : " " We'll show you how to fight." They attributed 
the lack of victories by the Army of the Potomac to weak and 
wavering qualities in its soldiers. Some of them had reason to 
change their views during the fighting before Jackson. The looth 
lUinois made a charge upon the enemy's line, but were repulsed, 
falling back in confusion upon a regiment of the Ninth Corps, 
which happened to be the looth Pennsylvania — the famous 
"Round Heads" from Pittsburg. The "Round Heads" halted 
the demoralized Western troops at the point of the bayonet, and 
then made the charge and carried the line which the looth Illinois 
failed to take. This incident put a partial stop to the guying from 
the Western men. 

Remaining until the 20th to complete the work of destruction, 
Sherman marched back to Vicksburg. In the meantime the troops 
carried much spoil from the city into the camps, surrounding them- 
selves with luxuries and fared sumptuously. The artillerists now 
had plenty to eat, but water continued scarce and poor. The sick 
list increased, principally with cases of diarrhtea and ague. Squads 
of Confederate deserters were picked up and marched to head- 
([uarters. Newspapers, containing accounts of the battle of 
Gettysburg, reached camp on the 19th, and had a rapid sale at 
twenty cents per copy. 

The battery moved from the asylum camp early on the morn- 
ing of the 20th, and after marching a few hundred yards was 
halted to allow the First Division, with all of its baggage wagons, 
to pass. Following the road a short distance, the column turned 
into the woods and traversed the plantation roads and corn fields, 
which it had passed in the advance upon Jackson. A halt was 
made at noon in the shade of a woods just above Clinton, to give 
rest to the troops during the heat of the day. The column moved 
again at 4 o'clock, on a route leading to a crossing several miles 
below the former crossing of the Big Black River. 

The men improved every halt in roasting corn, of which there 
was an abundance. Water was also convenient here. The road 
was bad which made progress slow. The men gathered green 
])eaches and apples from the numerous orchards and ate them. A 
short time after dark the column turned from the open road into 
one leading through a dark woods and bivouacked about 11 P. M. , 
tired and almost supperless, having notliing but hard tnck, and no 



The Mississippi Campaign. 151 

water with which to make coffee. The air was intensely hot, the 
sun having shone during the day with dog-day fury, and the dust 
in the roads rose in such clouds as to hide the battery when 
marching. 

Reveille was sounded at 3 o'clock the next morning, and after 
some dilly-dallying by the generals, the order of march was settled. 
The battery was to follow its own brigade, and the division to lead 
the column. C-offee was about ready when orders came to move 
on, and but few of the men got an opportunity to drink it. The 
water supply proved better during the day, a few swamp holes being 
passed along the road. All the peach orchards were visited and 
there was not a melon patch but received the attention of the sol- 
diers. The village of Brownsville, consisting of about a dozen 
houses, pretty well used up, was passed. The stores in the place 
were completely gutted, and the contents strewn in every direc- 
tion, torn or broken. 

The battery halted in the shade of a woods from 1 1 until 4 P. 
M. The water in a few holes of a dry creek close by was eagerly 
seized by man and beast aUke. It was yellow with stagnation, but 
all hands were satisfied with the coffee it made. Ears of corn, 
with half the husk stripped, was run into heaps of hot coals and 
ashes of the camp fires and soon rendered very palatable with a 
pinch of salt added, which, with the hard-tack, made a highly 
enjoyed meal. 

The march now became necessarily slow and tedious, as the 
region of the bluffs along the Big Black was approached. The 
dust was suffocating, and the hot sun beat fiercely upon the 
marching troops. The battery reached the river at 10 P. M. about 
five miles below the point where the caisson and horses had been 
lost with the breaking of the bridge, near a number of springs of 
good water. 

Reveille was not sounded on the 22nd until after sunrise, when 
the river was crossed on a strong bridge. Edwards' Battery was 
on the advance, the artillery brigade marching independently of 
the infantry, which did not move until 4 P. M. , to allow the strag- 
glers to catch up to their commands. About noon an old camp 
ground of the battery at Oak Ridge was passed, where a new route 
was taken through the woods to Mill Dale. A halt was caused by 
one of Benjamin's horses giving out. After moving another mile 
there was a long halt, during which a heavy thunder storm came 
up, which settled the dust and drenched the troops. Night caught 



152 Durell's Battery. 

the brigade still waiting. There was a very difficult hill ahead to 
contend with, and the doubling of teams consumed time. Then 
came the order to camp, which was gladly obeyed, and after a 
supper on roast corn, the men enjoyed a whole night of uninter- 
rupted sleep, not being called until after sunrise, though the orders 
were to be ready to move at daybreak. 

The infantry of the Second Division came up the next morn- 
ing, when the battery followed the column, having no little diffi- 
culty in drawing its guns and wagons up the steep hill. Reaching 
Mill Dale a halt was made at the springs of the old camp ground to 
fill the canteens with good water. The march then proceeded 
to Haines' Bluff where the troops encamped in a woods a mile from 
the land'ng. It was a poor camp ground, full of brush, weeds and 
briars, and half a mile from water. It was, however, the place 
assigned by the chief of artillery, from whose decision there was no 
appeal. The command was to await transportation back to Ken- 
tucky. 

Thus ended a notable march which was set down as being the 
hardest that the Ninth Corps had, up to that date, made. The 
troops had had a day and a half's rations for the whole march of 
nearly four days, in a hot climate, where water was scarce and very 
])oor. The distance covered was about sixty miles. They were 
now in the enjoyment of rest. They had opportunity to wash their 
clothes and received full rations, including flour, of which " slap- 
jacks" were the favorite product. The jaded and half-starved 
horses also received the regular ration of oats and hay. 

On the night after the arrival at this camp, orderlies were 
riding from camp to camp with the same haste and confusion as 
would be shown if a big battle was expected the next day. The 
generals discovered that they must rouse everybody up at midnight, 
to engage transportation for them, and that everybody should fur- 
nish themselves with ten days' rations. From the bustle and 
activity it might have been supposed that the whole corps would 
be loaded on boats before morning, but the battery officers were 
accustomed to such orders, and waited seventeen days for a boat. 

The difficulties and encounters with Smith's men, of the i6th 
C'orps, on the difference between Eastern and Western pluck, 
were now adjusted by an order issued by their commander, 
to be published to the Ninth Corps, in which he comphmented the 
conduct and valor of the Eastern soldiers, and told his own men 
that their style of fighting was such that the Western men might 



The Mississippi Campaign. 153 

well emulate. This order, when read, brought many a broad grin 
over the faces of the Yankees. 

The following order by General Grant was also read to the 
troops of the Ninth Corps : 

Head(juarters Department of the Tennessee, 

ViCKSBURG, Miss., July 31, 1863. 
Stecial Orders, No. 207. 
[Extract.] In returning the Ninth Corps to its former command, it is with 
pleasure that the commanding general acknowledges its valuable services in the 
campaign just closed. Arriving at Vicksburg opportunely, taking position to 
hold at bay Johnston's army, then threatening the forces investing the city, it 
was ready and eager to assume the aggressive at any moment. After the fall of 
Vicksburg, it formed a part of the army which drove Johnston from his position 
near the Big Black into his intrenchments at Jackson, and after a siege of eight 
days compelled him to fly in disorder from the Mississippi Valley. The endur- 
ance, valor and general good conduct of the Ninth Army Corps are admired by 
all, and its valuable co-operation in achieving the final triumph of the campaign 
is gratefully acknowledged by the Army of the Tennessee. 

Major General Parke will cause the different regiments and batteries of his 
command to inscribe upon their lianners and guidons, "Vicksburg" and 
" Jackson." 

By order of Major Ceneral U. S. CjRANT. 

I Signed) T. vS. Bowers, A. A. A. G. 

The battles in which the battery had been engaged up to this 
time were : Kelly's Ford, August 21st, '62 ; Bristoe Station, 
August 27th, '62 ; Bull Run, August 29th and 30th, '62 ; Chan- 
tilly, September ist, '62 ; South Mountain, September 14th, '62 ; 
Antietam, September 17th, 62 ; White Sulphur Springs, Novem- 
ber 15th, '62 ; Fredericksburg, December nth to i6th, '62 ; 
Vicksburg, from June 17th to July 4th, '63 ; Jackson, from July 
loth to 17th, '63. The casualties in these battles were : One 
officer killed and three men wounded. Surely a remarkable 
experience. 

The weather continued intensely hot and the men were dread- 
fully tormented by flies and fleas by day, and swarms of mosqui- 
toes that came from the recesses of the bayou, near the camp, by 
night. A smudge fire was built at each end of the tarpaulin tent 
to keep them out. It freciuently became so dense as to smoke out 
the men. 

The camp was visited, during the last week of July, by violent 
storms, attended with heavy thunder, lightning and rain. The air 
would be filled at such times with the httle shelter tents, boughs of 
trees and everything that wind could bear aloft. These storms 



154 Durell's Battery. 

were of very frequent occurrence. There was one on the 26th, 
one on the 27th, a severe one on the 28th, and another on the 
I St of August. The thunder was terrific, reminding the men very 
much of the terrible bombardment of Fredericksburg. The bat- 
tery camp ground was flooded and looked hke a pond. A serious 
accident occurred in one of the regiments. A large tree was bro- 
ken off by the force of the wind, and in its descent killed three 
men and seriously injured several more. 

Sickness increased rapidly throughout the corps, some regi- 
ments burying two or three men every day. Many of the victims 
did not suffer longer than three or four hours. The disease was 
supposed to be yellow fever, but the surgeons were careful to keep 
its nature from being generally known. A ration of whiskey (one 
gill) and quinine was issued to each man, morning and evening, to 
counteract the bad effects of the unwholesome water and kill 
malaria germs. Diarrhoea and malaria increased in the battery to 
such an extent that on the 8th of August the men who were well 
enough were obliged to perform double duty. 




Return to Kentucky. 155 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Return to Kentucky. 

THE battery embarked on August loth, with the 51st Penn- 
sylvania, on the steamer South Webster. Just before the 
battery moved, John Cooney, of Bucks County, died, and 
a detail of men was left to remain long enough to bury him in the 
camp ground. The sick were carried to the boat in ambulances 
and the deck-hands of the boat assisted the small number of well 
men in loading the horses, guns, wagons, etc., on the transport. 
The surgeons were kept busy attending the sick, the upper deck 
being almost covered with prostrate forms of suffering humanity. 
A stop for coal was made at Helena, where a negro was carried 
ashore who was sick with small- pox. 

The boat arrived at Memphis on the 13th, where ten of the 
battery's sick were left in a hospital, three of whom died on the 
15th — Samuel O. Burden and Albert H. Reider, of Reading, and 
Charles Reigling, of Lehigh County. Fifty- two men were on the 
sick list and many of the remainder were unfit for duty. Most of 
them were suffering from chills and fever. 

The boat arrived at Cairo early on the i6th, where the infan- 
try landed and the horses were taken ashore, but a shower made 
the steep banks too slippery to draw up the heavy guns and car- 
riages, and the work of disembarkation was suspended for the time 
and until the rain ceased. A detail of the 51st Pensylvania as- 
sisted in the work of unloading. Thirteen more of the battery 
were taken to the Mound City Hospital. The horses and guns, 
and the men who were well enough, were loaded on cars and 
transported to Cincinnati, while the men who were not able to sit up 
in the cars were transferred to the hospital boat Tempest, which left 
at noon on the i8th for Cincinnati. The boat was filled with the 
sick of the Ninth Corps, twenty- two of whom were members of 
Durell's Battery A stop was made at Mound City to take on 
some sick of the corps, nine of whom belonged to the battery. 
Two yet remained in the hospital, who died a day or two after- 
ward — Sergeant Geo. A. Everhart, of Doylestown, and John 
Beatty Price, of Buckingham, Bucks County. Two men died of 



156 Durell's Battery. 

fever on the boat on the 19th. Charles A. Fageley, of Hilltown, 
passed away at about daylight. A rough coffin was made, and 
when the boat stopped for coal at Caseyville, his remains were 
buried on the river bank. Sergeant James Q. Irwin, of Honey- 
brook, Chester County, died in the evening, and when the boat 
stopped at Evansville, Indiana, during the night, his body was 
left in charge of a citizen, for temporary interment in the cemetery, 
until his father could come for it. The saloon of the boat was 
crowded with sick infantry of the corps, a half dozen of whom died. 
The bodies were taken off for burial at the first stopping place. 

A fresh supply of ice was taken aboard at Louisville on the 
2ist. The sick were plentifully supplied with tea, gruel, soft 
bread, baked apples^ beef soup, bean soup, beefsteak, potatoes and 
ham, which were served according to the condition and needs of 
the patients, A number »of cases improved rapidly under the good 
care and treatment received, so that when the boat reached Cin- 
cinnati, they determined to join their command, having a dread 
of the hospitals, which had a reputation for poor treatment of the 
sick. 

An accident occurred above Louisville on the night of the 
2ist. A large United States mail steamer going down the Ohio 
ran into the hospital boat and stove a hole near the latter' s bow, 
in consequence of which she began to leak. The boat put into 
shore where the damage was soon repaired, and she proceeded to 
Cincinnati, arriving on the evening of the 22nd. 

The next day every man made a supreme effort to return to 
the battery, which, it was learned, was encamped on the outskirts 
of Covington, Ky. , but it was late in the afternoon before trans- 
portation on the ferry could be obtained. Eighteen men, who 
were able to walk, started to join their command, and the other 
ten were taken in ambulances to the hospital. Reaching Coving- 
ton, one man was left at the wharf to guard the knapsacks until a 
team could be sent for them, and the squad of emaciated and 
feeble invalids went out Main street with tottering step toward 
camp, about a mile and a half distant. The hot sun tried the con- 
valescents severely, and they were compelled to make a number of 
halts for rest upon the curbstones before the camp was reached. 
However, this squad, small in number and weak in physical 
strength, was hailed as a timely and welcome reinforcement by the 
dozen men there fit for duty. The horses had received little 
grooming. Bags of oats were cut and the contents poured on the 



Return to Kentucky. 157 

ground along the picket rope for them at feeding time, and when 
watering time came they were untied and allowed to go unattended 
to a near-by stream. The faithful creatures appeared to under- 
stand the situation, and rarely betrayed the confidence reposed 
in them, their return to the picket rope being prompt in nearly 
every instance. 

The paymaster called on the 24th with two months' pay. 
The few men who were able to turn out fell into line, upon which 
the paymaster observed that " there were still a few of the veterans 
left." He had a word of encouragement or humor for every man 
as he came up to draw his pay. 

The battery received several orders to join its brigade, which 
left Covington on the 26th, but Captain Durell informed his supe- 
riors that it was impossible to do so without men to handle the 
horses and guns. When the battery left Kentucky for Vicksburg, 
it was in excellent condition, numbering one hundred and twenty 
strong, having arms, accoutrements and horses well equipped, and 
all in the highest state of efficiency. Upon its return, after an 
absence of a little more than two months, ten of its number had 
died, about forty were sick in hospital, and of those who were in 
camp, only some fifteen or twenty were fit for duty. The loss 
among the horses was even greater than among the men. About 
half of the entire number had died, and of those that remained, 
but a small number were serviceable. There was plenty to eat 
now. Besides a full army ration, regularly issued, the camp 
swarmed with women, who brought for sale cooked victuals of all 
kinds. Captain Durell also procured dehcacies for the sick from 
the Sanitary Commission, which were brought over from Cincinnati 
in the battery ambulance. 

On the 31st the pay-roll was signed, and on September 2nd, 
the paymaster disbursed another two months' pay. Those who 
were able to be about again enjoyed the privilege of visiting Cov- 
ington and Cincinnati, for which passes were freely given by the 
officers. It was a welcome break in the monotony of camp life, 
which grew very irksome after the active service which the battery 
had experienced for upwards of a year previous. 

A very heavy rain fell on the 6th, submerging most of the 
tent floors, and soaking blankets, clothing, etc. There was yet 
much sickness among the men. The captain was advised of the 
death of Burden, Reider and Reigling at Memphis, and of the 
remaining seven, one was too sick to be moved and the other six 



158 Durell's Battery. 

had been sent home on furloughs. Charles Jones, at time of en- 
listment a residen': of New Britain township, Bucks County, was 
taken from camp to the Seminary Hospital, Covington, and died 
of dysentery on September nth. William S. McNair, who had 
escaped an attack while down the river, was now taken sick in camp. 

A regiment of green troops, the First Ohio Artillery, were 
quartered in barracks near the battery camp. They complained 
very much of the manner in which they were used, and wanted to 
go into active service. They garrisoned the works in the rear of 
Covington, on the high hills, where no enemy ever made an 
appearance. There were also some 400 to 500 conscripts 
encamped near by, awaiting distribution to the different Ohio 
regiments. They were novices and had a great many things to 
learn in soldiering, especially as to pitching tents. They usually 
pitched them in the hollow, instead of setting them on the hill 
side. When a rain came it washed them all away. 

Sergeant Henry Sailor was taken to Camp Dennison Hospital, 
Ohio, on the 15th of September. A number of the battery horses 
were condemned on the 21st, and turned into the government 
corrall. Corporal William G. Mack, of Berks County, died very 
suddenly in camp on the 22nd, and was buried the next day in the 
Baptist burying ground in Covington. The remains were carried 
thither in the ambulance, escorted by a sergeant, a corporal and 
two privates. 

A few men returned to camp from the hospital, but on the 
1 8th nine more sick were taken away. Lieutenant George W. 
Silvis had gone home on thirty days' sick leave, and Lieutenant 
Christopher Leoser also went home, sick. Captain Durell was the 
only commissioned officer left. He was untiring in his efforts for 
the welfare of his men, and in refitting the battery with new tents, 
horses, harness, wagons, cooking utensils, etc., in order that his 
command would be in readiness to join the corps again, as soon as 
a sufficient force of men recovered. The corps was then on the 
march over the Cumberland Mountains into East Tennessee. 

The camp was moved a few hundred yards on the 28th, where 
new tarpaulin tents were erected. The next day Sergeant Sailor 
and Corporals Giffens and Bender returned from Camp Dennison 
Hospital, and three men came back from the Seminary Hospital, 
Covington. On the 2nd of October the doctor and Captain Durell 
concluded that five more men should be sent to the hospital, 
among them being Orderly Sergeant William P. Andrews. They 



Return to Kentucky. 159 

were taken to the Seminary Hospital. Nearly all of them kicked 
a little against going ; but it was no use, go they must ; and they 
were afterwards glad that they were taken. There each one had a 
good, soft bed, a dry, warm room, and a good fire to sit by. They 
were well cared for. They had plenty of good food, well cooked. 
The doctors were kind and attentive, and did all they could to 
make the patients comfortable. 

On the same day Captain Durell, accompanied by Sergeant 
Rhoads and Corporal Burden, left for Carhsle, Pa. , for the purpose 
of obtaining conscripts to enable the battery to again take the field. 
Lieutenant Silvis, who had returned to camp from leave of absence, 
was left in command. The captain had received orders the day 
before to move, if he possibly could, as far as Camp Nelson, and 
he did his utmost to comply with the order, but it was impossible 
to do so. 

On the 13th of October the election for Governor of Ohio took 
place. Brough was the Republican and Vallandigham was the 
Democratic candidate. Party feeling was hot and bitter through- 
out the Buckeye State and an outbreak was feared in Cincinnati. 
Lieutenant Silvis received orders to hold all the available force of 
the battery in readiness to cross the river at a moment's notice. 
Some of the teams were taken up on the hills early in the morning 
to move the heavy guns manning the neighboring forts, and one 
section of the battery's guns was sent to the vicinity of the ferry, in 
Covington, in readiness to cross to Cincinnati if trouble occurred. 
It took all the men fit for duty to man one section. Two teams 
were also sent into Covington to take a section of 20-pounder Par- 
rotts, belonging to the heavy artillery regiment, and the regiment 
was to support the artillery. About thirty of the men were out 
with the section ; the remainder guarded the Confederate prison, 
and Dick, the officers' colored cook, stood guard over the camp 
with a rusty musket. Lieutenant Silvis' section stood in waiting at 
headquarters all day, ready to cross to Cincinnati ; but no orders 
came, as the election passed off without any serious disturbance. 
The section was ordered back to camp after the close of the polls, 
with orders to keep the horses harnessed until 10 o'clock. 

The health of the men improved, and there was a gradual but 
slow reinforcement of the ranks by returns from hospitals. Gilbert 
Bissey came back to camp on October 15th, and by the 24th two 
others had returned from sick furlough and six from the Covington 
hospital. Lieutenant Leoser, who had been at home on sick leave 



i6o 



Durell's Battery. 



for nearly two months, returned on the 29th, and Adley B. Law- 
rence reported for duty on the 31st. 

The weather had been warm and pleasant for some weeks. A 
heavy rain accompanied by high wind, which blew over the com- 
pany cook-house during the night causing a temporary break in the 
service of the rations now came on. The storm was followed by 
decidedly colder weather, which compelled the men to crowd 
around the camp-fires, and to resort to the barracks near by, in 
which a regiment of green cavalry was quartered, to enjoy the 
warmth afforded from their large stoves. 




A Flying Trip to Lake Erik. i6i 



CHAPTER XX. 

A Flyinc; Trip to Lake Erie.. 

ORDERS were received on November 12th to make prepara- 
tions to leave at a moment's notice. It was soon learned 
that the battery was to go to Johnson's Island, in Lake Erie, 
near Sandusky, Ohio, to assist in preventing the e.xecution of a 
contemplated plot of Confederate emissaries and refugees in Canada 
to release the prisoners confined there. The men were ordered to 
take nothing with them but blankets and overcoats, with three days' 
rations in their haversacks. Every man that was able to go, as 
well as every horse that could pull a pound, was impressed. The 
battery's own guns were not taken, but six 20 pounder Farrott's 
and one 30-pound gun were drawn from Fort Wright and taken 
along. It required all the men of the company to fill the quota of 
drivers needed, and cannoneers were supplied by a detachment of 
the First Ohio Heavy Artillery! 

After waiting until dark in the streets of Covington, the bat- 
tery was ferried over the river and marched to the railroad depot, 
where it was loaded on a train for Sandusky. The men were all 
crowded into one box-car. They were so cramped and uncom- 
fortable that some of them moved out on the open cars, and 
spread their blankets under the artillery carriages, where they en- 
joyed more room, though they did not get much sleep. They 
were exposed to a cold night's wind, but the cars shook them up so 
violently that the blood was kept in perfect circulation. The train 
made no longer stop than was necessary to take on wood and 
water for the engine. 

The ride across the State of Ohio was an interesting one. The 
people turned out in large numbers at most of the towns where the 
train stopped, treated the soldiers to food and greeted them with 
cheers and other evidences of kindly welcome. Some of them wanted 
the soldiers to kill Vallandigham, declaring that he wasat thebottom 
of the conspiracy. At some points large numbers of mihtia were 
awaiting transportation to the scene of danger. At 'I'iftin a whole 
regiment had been called out to quell the expected outbreak, and 
prevent the intended pillage of the Lake cities. By the time the train 



i62 Durell's Battery. 

reached Sandusky there were a large number of soldiers on board. 
The inhabitants of that city were, however, not so apprehensive of 
impending danger, and appeared to be surprised at the arrival of 
such a formidable body of soldiers. They were disposed to make 
light of the alarm. 

Immediately upon arrival, after dark on the 13th, the horses 
were taken from the cars, put in a cattle-yard half a mile from the 
depot, given feed and water, and left to the care of a guard. Eight 
horses were, however, taken along to the island to draw the guns 
from the dock to the position assigned them. After the men had 
returned to the depot, the pieces were taken from the cars, and 
placed on board of a boat and ferried across the bay to Johnson's 
Island, where they were immediately placed in position for action. 
This work was completed at 2 o'clock The men, who were very 
much fatigued, were then provided with comfortable quarters in a 
building just completed, and intended for a sutler store, the owner 
of which had been arrested on a charge of smuggling letters to 
prisoners on the island and sent to Washington. 

Rain continued to fall throughout the next day, making sol- 
diering very unpleasant, and especially so for the 49th Ohio Militia, 
which had just arrived without tents and had no place of shelter. 
Seeing the pitiable condition of the militia the men of the battery 
congratulated themselves on the good fortune that gave them dry 
quarters. In the evening a call was made for three volunteers 
from the battery, to work a howitzer on a picket boat about to go 
out on the lake. Corporal James L. Mast was one of those who 
responded. They returned in the morning very much pleased 
with the night's experience, having enjoyed good accommodations 
and care while aboard the boat. At 10 o'clock the same night the 
men were called up to unload eighty-six boxes of artillery ammuni- 
tion from a boat to wagons and from the wagons into a store house. 

It was reported that the island was to be attacked on the 
morning of the 15th. F>ery preparation was made to meet the 
assault, but the enemy did not put in an appearance. The battery- 
men devoted the morning in initiating its detachment of the First 
()hio Heavy Artillery into the mysteries of the gun drill. The 
jjrisoners were confined in large barracks with an ample yard in 
which they were permitted to stroll during the day, and numbered 
at this time about three thousand inmates, a large portion of them 
being Confederate officers. Several hundred, who had been cap- 
tured at the recent battle at Rappahannock Station, were brought 



A ]'i.\ IXC TkiF TO Lakk Erie. 163 

into the prison on the 14th, under guard of a battalion of the 
15 ist Pennsylvania. 

The battery was called up at 4 o'clock on the 16th, and ordered 
to return to Covington, leaving the guns and detachment of Ohio 
Artillery on the island, to defend it from any attempt that might 
be made by the Canadians and Confederates to release the pris- 
oners. The men received the orders with pleasure, for they had 
nothing with them but blankets and overcoats, and confinement on 
the island was becoming irksome. The weather was very disagree- 
able, rain falling and a chilling wind blowing from the lake. Board- 
ing a small ferry-boat just large enough to hold the company and 
the eight horses, the command, was transferred to Sandusky, reach- 
ing the city at daybreak. Leaving their blankets at the depot, the 
men marched off in a drenching rain to the cattle yard. A detail 
was left behind to load the harness upon the cars. The horses 
were loaded on cars which were in waiting at the yards and drawn 
to the depot, where the train was soon in readiness to start, with a 
passenger car attached for the accommodation of the men. .This 
was a decided improvement on the box car in which they were 
confined on the journey north. The return trip was made by way 
of Dayton and Hamilton, while the up trip had been via Xenia 
and Springfield. 

Reaching Cincinnati at 10.30 in the evening, the men unloaded 
the horses, mounted them and rode to camp, leaving the harness 
at the depot to be hauled to camp by the wagons in the morning. 
It was midnight when they arrived. Here they rejoined the men 
who were on their backs with chills and fever when they left a few 
days before The guns had been taken out into Covington and 
posted in different parts of the town, for a scare had been created 
after the battery left by a report put in circulation that the seces- 
sion element of the town, which was quite strong there, intended 
to free the Confederate prisoners confined in the barracks, simul- 
taneously with the expected attack on Johnson's Island. Every 
available soldier was impressed for this service, including the sick 
men who were able to walk and had been left back in the battery 
cam}). It recjuired three teams to haul the harness from Cincin- 
nati to camp the next morning. A new lot of horses was drawn 
from the Government corrall and added to the force on hand, so 
that nearly every man had a pair of horses to care for. This was 
not a pleasant duty to perform, as the horses were tied to a picket 
rope and exposed to the weather. 



164 !)u hell's Baiterv. 

CHAPTER XXI. 

CoviNCiToN Barracks. 

THE regiment of cavalry which occupied the barracks near the 
camp had left when the battery returned from Johnson's 
Island, and the buildings were now empty. Each ward was 
■constructed to accommodate one hundred men, and there were 
ten of them. The battery men were set to work at cleaning one 
ward, into which they moved on the 19th, the horses and guns 
being placed in close proximity, but without shelter. There were 
but about fifty men with the battery, so there was jjlenty of room 
for them in the ward, which was provided with two large wood- 
stoves, benches and bunks. ^V'ithin its enclosure the men con- 
templated the coming rigors of winter with a degree of indifference 
that would not have been possible in "dog tents," or even under 
tarpaulins. 

Sergeant Andrews, writing from the Seminar)- Hospital, at 
Covington, on November 23rd, said : 

■' Matlei.s appear to lie jogginjj; along in our ' penitenliary ' after old style. 
Blue jackets adorn the entrances, both front and rear — always with the cruel 
J>avonet — the same rigid system of espionage is kept up, the efforts of which are 
occasionally repaid hy taking off some poor unfortunate's trousers. Running 
the blockade, or taking the fence, is the order of the day, and rarely is one 
caught, although the staff are sharply on the watch. When we ask for passes 
to go out and do some little shoppini; matters, the rrply is, ' Wo can attend to 
all such for you.' 

" The men, before the present surgeon look charge, were accustomed to 
plav cards, checkers, etc., in the wards, but Dr. Marsh soon put a stop to this, 
and does not allow it, on account of the noise made by the men. We are 
deprived of our gas in the evening, so that we can neither read nor write. To 
remedy this, our chaplain took the matter in hand, and has persuaded the doctor 
to yield him a ward, at the time vacant, to be fitted up for a smoking and read- 
ing room. Rather a miserable place for one to read or write, when there are 
lots of men playing cards and such like. The chaplain begged funds for the 
purchase of timber, needed for tables, chairs, etc. It will be used during the 
week by the men, and on Sunday afternoon by him for preaching. lie has a 
portion of the room fenced off for his quarters, to keep the boys in order. A 
happy time he will have of it in them, writing his sermons. lie is the busiest 
fellow about the institution, and, in truth, a very fine man."' 

• A guidon, the gift of ladies of Bucks County, was received on 
the 23rd. The flag which had hitherto been carried by the battery 




THE FIRST GUIDON 



Covington Barracks. 165 

was a gift from the citizens of Reading, and was very much tat- 
tered and torn by service. The new one was a beautiful and 
timely testimonial from friends at home, and was highly appreci- 
ated by the men of the battery, who at once concluded that it 
should be received with the formality and honor which it deserved 
Accordingly a meeting was called to order by electing the following 
named officers : President, Lieutenant George W. Silvis ; Vice- 
Presidents, Sergeant Henry Sailor, Corporal B. Frank Bender and 
Bugler Joseph M. Cuffel ; Corresponding Secretary, James L. 
Mast. Charles A. Cuffel then presented the flag in the following 
words : 

" Comrades : I have been called upon to present to you this beautiful flag 
which I hold before you, in behalf of the ladies of Bucks County. They assure 
us that they appreciate the efforts which we have made towards crushing the 
wicked rebellion by presenting us with this beautiful emblem of our National 
liberty. May our work and conduct be such in the future that its folds may 
not be disgraced by any act of ours, but that it may be carried triumphantly 
through all engagements in which it may be our duty to participate." 

Lieutenant Christopher Leoser received it on behalf of the 
battery with an appropriate address, in which he assured the kind 
friends of Bucks County that it would be upheld and honored in 
any emergency. 

After the presentation, a committee of five was appointed, 
consisting of Quartermaster Azariah Ratz, Corporal L Carey Car- 
ver, Bugler James S. Rich, Ensign William S. McNair and Adley 
B. Lawrence, to draft resolutions expressive of the thanks of the 
battery to the donors of the standard, who offered the following 
resolutions which were unanimously adopted : 

Resolved, "That some recognition of the kindness of those who have not 
forgotten us in our absence is due, therefore, 

Resolved, "That not only because it is due, do we return our warmest 
thanks for the beautiful flag which you have sent us, but our hearts respond 
with pride and gratification to your flattering acknowledgment of our services. 
We thank you for the flag ; for your sympathy with us and the cause for which 
we are battling, and for the assurance which your gift gives us that you still 
hold us in memory, and that warm hearts and rosy lips will not be wanting 
to welcome our return. It is an added incentive to noble deeds for us to re- 
member that there are some anxious hearts watching our career. Let us trust 
that our future will show better than mere words can, that your welcome gift is 
not unappreciated, and that if in the past we have not disgraced our homes 
and friends, in the time to come our conduct may be still more worthy of 
your approbation. 

Resolved, "That a copy of these resolutions be sent to each of the Bucks, 
Berks and Chester County papers for publication." 



i66 Durell's Battery. 

The inscription upon the staff of the ten engagements in 
which the battery took part was well executed. The meeting ad- 
journed with three cheers for the donors of the flag. 

Thanksgiving day fell on the 26th, which most of the men 
observed by attending religious services in Covington churches. 
The new horses recently drawn were ordered to be returned to the 
government corrall. The weather turned cold on the 28th, com- 
pelling the men to stick close to the camp-fires, and snow fell on 
the 29th. Pleasant weather returned on December 3rd, when the 
pieces and caissons were washed and repainted, the harness repaired 
and oiled, aid the ammunition chests repacked. 

Captain Durell was still in Philadelphia drilling conscripts. It 
was rumored in camp that he would not return until February, as 
he must await the next draft before he could obtain the men he 
needed. General Burnside was not getting any help from his 
'• second-best battery " in his troubles in Tennessee. (Benjamin's 
l)attery of Regulars held first place.) Had the battery possessed 
men enough to ride the horses when sent for, it would have been 
with him at the siege of Knoxville, to add another to its list of bat- 
tles, which the Ninth Corps fought with its old adversary, General 
Longstreet. It seemed to be Longstreet's fate to meet the Ninth 
Corps for it fought hini at Bull Run, Chantilly, South Mountain, 
Aniieta I), Lordon, Campbell's Station, Knoxville, and afterwards 
at Blaine's Cross Roads, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Ream's Sta- 
tion, Yellow Tavern and indeed almost everywhere along the line 
at Petersburg. 

On the 5th Samuel F. Quinter, at time of enhstment from 
Berks County, who had deserted the battery while travelling by 
rail from Baltimore to Kentucky in the previous spring, returned 
under the amnesty proclamation of President Lincoln, which gave 
full pardon to all deserters who returned to their commands. He 
had enlisted in the battery but a few months before his desertion. 
The ardor to re- enlist was first manifested on the 8th, when 
Sergeant Henry Sailor, James L. Mast and a number of others de- 
cided to enlist ag.iin for three years or during the war. The in- 
ducements offered were a thirty-days furlough, $300 United States 
Government bounty, and $400 bounty ])aid by their county, as 
well as the desire to see the fight to a finish. Orderly Sergeant 
Andrews, Charles C. Berg, Elias K. Cooper, Jacob Franks and 
Cyrus Davidhyser returned to duty from hospital on the same day. 



Covington Barracks. 167 

On the 15th all of the horses were turned into the govern- 
ment stable, with the exception of those used for the three baggage 
wagons, the ambulance and a few saddle horses, which were kept 
in a neighboring stable. It was a wise arrangement for both horses 
and men, for the weather had been wet and cold for some time, 
and animals tied to the picket -rope were without any shelter what- 
ever, standing in mud knee deep and shivering with cold as the 
men did when a shake of chills was on them. 

Christmas day came, and with it the cheer of the season in 
the form of boxes containing clothes, eatables, etc., from the homes 
of a number of the men. The government dinner on that day 
consisted of roast beef and mashed potatoes. After the meal was 
eaten the camp was visited by three ladies from the Sanitary Com- 
mission, who brought with them an ambulance loaded with roast 
turkeys, mince pies, doughnuts, fruit cake and apples, which they 
distributed among the men. It is needless to say that the soldiers 
regarded this call of the ladies as a visit of angels. All the men, 
with the exception of a few who had guard or other duties to per- 
form were given permission to leave camp, of which most of them 
took advantage in the afternoon to attend the great sanitary fair in 
Cincinnati, which was opened on the 21st and continued until 
January 7th. 

A large number of bounty men were brought over on the 28th 
and confined in two of the adjoining wards of the barracks, which 
required a strong detail of the battery to guard, for the most of 
them were thought to be " bounty jumpers. " They were, how- 
ever, hurried on toward the front the next day, a welcome relief to 
the artillerists, who preferred to go into an engagement with the 
enemy rather than guard such a rabble as they were. They had 
plenty of money, paid high prices for all sorts of delicacies, and 
attempted to bribe the guard for their freedom. 




1 68 Durell's Battery. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Veteranizing, 

THE new year of 1864 was ushered in with excessively cold 
weather which continued for ten days. The Ohio River 
was frozen over and the ferry boats were unable to run 
across to Cincinnati. Snow to the depth of a foot covered the 
ground. Much snow was blown through the cracks of the roof and 
sides of the barracks in which the artillerists were quartered, and 
it was impossible to keep the large, barn like building comfortably 
warm, although the stoves were fired to their full capacity. The 
log huts which the men had enjoyed while at Fredericksburg the 
winter previous were much more comfortable quarters than those 
they now occupied. There was good sleighing. The citizens of 
Covington and Cincinnati were out in large numbers enjoying the 
sport. One of the batter, men who returned to duty just after the 
cold spell had passed, reported that the weather at home had not 
been near so severe as it was at Covington. 

On the 8th the men were ordered to brush up for parade and 
were marched to headquarters to witness the shooting of a deserter, 
but a reprieve arrived at the last moment, and the man's life was 
spared. 

Among the detachments of recruits which were continually 
passing through on the way to the front, was discovered a female 
soldier quartered in an adjoining ward of the barracks This cre- 
ated a great sensation in camp Her soldier career in the barracks 
was cut short when her identity was made known to the officers at 
headtpiarters, and she was given an unceremonious and dishonor- 
able discharge. 

'i"he 6th New Hampshire, a Ninth Corps regiment, arrived at 
the barracks from Knoxville on the i8th, on the way home on their 
veteran furlough. It was the advance regiment of almost the entire 
corps, which soon followed on the same mission. The 79lh New 
York (Scotch Highlanders), which had but little more than two 
months to complete its three years' term, was the only regiment of 
the corps that did not re-enlist The men of that legiment con- 
cluded that there would be ample opportunity to re-enter the army 



Veteranizing. 169 

after their term had expired. The corps, under command of 
General Burnside, had just ended a hard campaign in carrying out 
President Lincohi's desire to rescue the loyal people of East Ten- 
nessee from Confederate domination. For a time, during the 
siege of Knoxville, the troops were marched to heaps of corn, 
where each man received three ears for a day's ration. This they 
pounded or ground and cooked into a condition to eat, as best 
they could. 

The conditions of the order for re- enlistments provided that if 
two-thirds of the men of a command re-enlisted, the organization 
was to be maintained for another term of three years or during the 
war, the re-enlisted men to be at once mustered out of the old 
term and sworn into the new. The veteran was entitled to a 
cheveron on the front part of the coat sleeve, extending from a 
point two inches below the elbow to the sleeve buttons. Many of 
the Ninth Corps regiments re-enlisted in excess of the two-thirds 
requirement. 

The process of veteranizing, which had begun in the battery 
on the 8th of December, was now progressing. The Orderly 
Sergeant's journal, under date of February 11, says : 

" We shipped our third squad of veterans over the river this afternoon, to 
be mustered out of service and immediately into it again for another three years' 
weary time. I feel very much reheved that they are off my hands, for tlieyhave 
pestered me much by day, and disturbed my dreams by night. After I had com- 
pleted my rolls last night, as I supposed, and was about closing up for the 
occasion, orders came to add three more names, and another was on hand. 
They take the re-enlisting disease about the same way the old jerkers used to 
catch their shakes. This was the largest squad of the three that have as yet 
entered the new arrangement, there being twenty-four men in this one and only 
eight in each of the others, making forty men in the three parties. There are 
twenty men as yet needed to make up their two-thirds - perhaps they may be 
gained, but I think it very doubtful. 

"Those who have acquaintances in the town generally go out to spend 
their evenings with them, but as I have none I stay within doors From the 
information I have received from those posted in such matters, the society of 
Covington is none of the best, except that of the very upper tendom, and that 
is particularly exclusive, those of a lower grade not even daring to look at them. 
We have not as much sickness amongst us as at some time back. We discov- 
ered that the water we were using was very filthy, and possilily aided in pro- 
ducing and sustaining and fattening our sicknesses. We are now using the water 
from the Ohio River, and I think that already we are experiencing good effects 
from it. The old place was a large pond near a small grave yard a mile or so 
beytjud us. It has been used to water mules from the government stables. 
They were driven out every day and stired up the mire nicely, as we never had 
any clear water from that puddle. The water around here is very poor, and to 



17° Durell's Battery. 

it, I think, is due a great portion of tlie sickness the people around here are 
afflicted with. I understood to-day that Cincinnati is now visited with that 
loathsome disease, the small-pox, and that a case or so has been discovered in 
Covington. It has been prevalent to a small extent all along among the sol- 
diery, the hospital generally having twelve or fifteen cases in it. 

" Some of the men have just been in to inform me that there is another 
squad about to re-enlist, and that I must be at it again to-morrow to fix them 
out ; and that the lieutenant had remarked he would apply to take the men 
home as a company and for orders to transfer the remainder of us to some other 
company for the balance of our time. Quite a commotion was stirred up among 
the crowd sitting around ; some for the change, others against it. Poor Silvis, 
or whoever the lieutenant was, caught it, I can tell you. If the poor man is able 
to sleep to-night with the weight of the maledictions and anathemas that were 
hurled upon his head, he is impregnable to shell. 

" All the scare was about six men, who have had their names already upon 
two former lists and ' flunked out.' Besides, six men are not twenty. How is 
it that we see no account of Bucks County giving any bounty or attempting in 
any way to shield herself from the draft ? Our Bucks County boys, who have 
re- enlisted, would have preferred being credited to her, but went where the 
most bounty was to be had. The whole of to-day's squad of twenty-four men, 
were credited to Chester County and go in a body to West Chester, to be placed 
on the books and claim their ^400 bounty. Ten of them were from Bucks 
County. Thus we have lost, in that way, ten men from our quota." 

Another cold snap occurred on the 22nd, ahiiost as severe as 
that experienced at the beginning of the year. Washington's 
Birthday was celebrated over in Cincinnati by a military parade of 
six regiments of the returned veterans of the city and surrounding 
country, and salutes were fired from the forts on the hills. Many 
of the batterymen went over to see the attractions. 

Orders for the re-enlisted men to start for their homes were 
belated by vexatious delays, but they finally came on the 25th, 
when the veterans bid good-bye to the remaining comrades and 
took a train at Cincinnati for Harrisburg, arriving early on the 27th. 
There the furloughs and transportation were issued to the men by 
Lieutenant Silvis, who had command of the scjuad, after which 
they separated and proceeded in different directions to their homes. 

While at home in the enjoyment of their furloughs, the men 
who had been left at Covington, in command of Lieutenant Leoser, 
were ordered to Annapolis, Md., where General Burnside was 
rendezvousing the Ninth Army Corps for reorganization. Sergeant 
Andrew's journal gives the following account of their journey : 

"On Saturday, March 19th, a telegram was received from corps head- 
(juarters at New ^'ork, ordering us to report at Annapolis immediately. This 
being received late in the day, no preparations for t)ur transportation could be 
made as all the government offices were closed, and would be on Sunday also. 



Veteranizing. 171 

On Wednesday the 21st, the government officials did not appear to be inchned 
to red-tape, and had transportation ready for us before we were ready. At 12 
M. we received orders to pack up and be ready to move from camp at i P. M. 
Such another glorious confusion you never saw. The trash and rubbish that had 
accumulated in the past six months must be abandoned, and was greedily seized 
by the women and children, who were on hand for the leavings, like buzzards 
having received the scent almost before we knew anything of it. Having only 
twenty horses, and those saddle and wagon horses, we made a requisition on the 
post quartermaster for his wagon teams to draw us across the river, which were 
on hand at the appointed time. By 6 P. M, we were loaded and on our road 
to Columbus ; not the most comfortably fixed at that, as we were furnished with 
but one passenger car, and that would barely seat fifty of us ; the result being 
that a few were compelled to stand or take a lowly position by stretching them- 
selves out on the car floor, a target as well as wiping cloth for sundry discharges 
of tobacco juice. The night was very cold ; yet we managed to keep warm 
enough. Having had no opportunity to obtain any supper at the first stopping 
place, we made a descent on their saloons, and purchased a dear bite and some 
villainous coffee. This being gobbled down lest the train should leave, we 
returned to our car and had plenty of time to chew it over before our horse gave 
any indication of moving on. Our progress was rather slow, having to run 
between trains when we could get the right of way. 

March 22nd. — " Daylight this morning caught us standing on the track at a 
place called Jefferson, waiting for three down trains. Here we were delayed 
for some two hours or more, and I nearly froze, the air being so keen. Having 
a ravenous appetite, a piece of fat pork, accompanied by some dirty bread, 
speedily disappeared, and I wished for more, but no use. We reached Col- 
umbus about 8.30 A. M., and were switched off on another track, given a new 
car and a conductor's caboose to ride in, which latter affair was very comfort- 
able, being furnished with good cushioned seats and a roaring stove. About 
1 1 A. M. we stopped to await the down trains from the east, at a small village 
of about three houses, a small church and an establishment that gloried in the 
name of a grocery. A dive was made into this concern for something to 
eat, which was speedily obtained, that appearing to be about all the goods on 
hand. The conductor and railroad hands certainly had had a seat in the North 
Carolina Assembly, by the expert way in which they could throw out the shells, 
eating peanuts being said to be the duties of that august body. About noon we 
reached the town of Newark, changed engines and were soon off, the move- 
ment apparently made to keep us from getting a mouthful to eat, as we stopped 
about a mile from the depot for an hour or so. From this point our journey 
was very rapid, making the enormous distance of eight miles in six hours. The 
water being drawn from the canal from which the tanks were filled, water 
must be carried in buckets for the engines, which delayed us, and thereby we 
lost the right of road, and were compelled to wait until dark before we had a 
clear track. At Newark we were furnished with a new passenger car, that is a 
second one. As to being new, it may have been so once, but not at this ' pre- 
sent juncture ' At any rate it was comfortable there being plenty of room in 
it for ten of us, with a good hot stove to boot. Being hungry the conductor tele- 
giaphed and ordered supper for forty of us, to be ready at Coshocton. We 
reached there about 8 P. M., and did right good service to the meal. No one 



172 Durell's Battery. 

had any time, let alone inclination, to talk, as we had too much before ns to be 
devoured. So quiet were the men, that the conductor gave them the name of 
the ' Presbyterian battery. ' After this I cannot say what happened during the 
remainder of the night, for when I awoke about daylight we were switching off 
for Steubenville. 

March 2jrd.—'^^l\. ■wa.s about 6 A. M., when we stopped in the town, 
and having performed our morning ablutions, I made hunt for something to 
eat. I was recommended to the best hotel in the town, about half a mile off, 
and thitherward I traveled. The meal did not pay for the shoe leather worn out 
in going there, the food being dreadfully scarce and the meat awfully tough. Just 
think of one fried egg and one biscuit set down between two hungry soldiers, 
and very little prospect for more. In just such piece-meal bits did we manage 
our breakfast. The rule of the hotel evidently was ' nothing to eat,' and an at- 
tempt at very much style, in which they most signally failed. Our battery was 
quite an object of attraction, persons coming from all parts of the town to take 
a look at it. I concluded I would take a walk down and see the great female 
seminary that I had heard so much of. I did not venture in as it was the last 
day of school, and hoops and trunks were being huddled in every direction. At 
any rate, I had no personal acquaintance with the proprietor of the school. At 
II o'clock we moved oft to the main road to await our engine, which was not 
up to time. A few of us getting hungry, waited on an Irish lady living near 
the road and bargained for something to eat. Whilst in here our train went off 
without any warning and left us behind. A freight train soon came along and 
we again stopped at Steubenville and awaited the mail train for Pittsburg. We 
were just in the right time, as the young misses were at the station as thick as 
l)ees, and we had a good look at them. Some were rather good looking, others 
ugly enough ; and a few, I suppose had their diplomas for all the ornamental 
branches of modern society, for they could swear a little. We passed the bat- 
tery about fourteen miles up the river and reached Pittsburg at 8.30 P. M., 
where we awaited it. 

March 24th. — "The battery came in after midnight, and we laid quiet 
until about 8 A. M., when we commenced changing it on other cars. About 
noon we were off, and as it was rather a fine day I took position on one of the 
guns so as to view the country, and was well blackened with coal dust and smoke 
for my trouble. I must certainly have been well begrimed, as a youngster, 
with finger pointed at me, bawled out, ' Oh ! look at that nigger.' Nothing of 
moment transpired on this route, except that we lost precious little time reach- 
ing Altoona, on this side of the mountain, about 2 A. M. of March 25th. I 
was in hopes that we would cross the mountain in day time ; as it was, how- 
ever, we passed them before daylight. Having a box car, I spent the day in 
stretching out at full length and sleeping, as it was too cold and rainy to go out- 
side. A little after noon rain and snow commenced falling, making everything 
nicely disagreeable. 15y the time we reached IIarrisl)urg it was storming hard. 
We arrived at York about dusk, but had little opportunity to buy anything to 
eat, except of the peddler women, as we were told that we would be there but 
a short time. Along the whole route this seemed to be the rule ; where we 
could ol)tain meals we either did not stop or were told that we had no time to 
gel tlicni, and invarial)ly would sto[) for a long jn'riod where nothing could be 
obtained. The storm still continued increasing in fury, and l>y the time we 



Veteranizing. 173 

reached Baltimore it was coming down with a vengeance. P>om the cars in 
Baltimore we marched to the 'Soldiers' Rest,' and, stored into the second story 
of the lousy establishment, minus fire, already filled with troops, trying to sleep 
and loafing around until breakfast time. 

March 26i/i — "The rain still continues pouring down in torrents. After 
partaking of the beef Noah took into the Ark among the ship's stores of that 
famous vessel, and swallowing sundry pieces of very sour bread, washed down 
by very villainous coffee, all at the expense of the 'Rest,' we moved to the 
depot to wander about in the rain until noon, when we again moved off. This 
portion of our route from Baltimore was the most disagreeable we had. We 
were penned up in second-class hog-cars, without glass or sash in the window 
holes, portions of the weather-boarding gone and the floor badly dilapidated, 
one stove and no wood being the allowance for the tw o cars. A man with the 
dyspepsia could have had his stomach well settled by the rough riding, and a 
water-cure man been rendered jubilant by the copious supply of rain falling. Two 
hours' riding through the miserable swampy country of ' My Maryland ' brought 
us to the camp for paroled prisoners, about two miles and a half from Annapolis. 
The rain was pouring down in torrents, and very cold at that. We were run 
into the camp on a switch, and awaited the return of the lieutenant from Annap- 
olis, whither he had gone to find some one to whom to report our presence. He 
went down on the engine, and was compelled to return on foot through mud 
and rain. Towards evening we gathered up our movables and took possession 
of a vacant barrack, and made preparations to pass the night. It was rather a 
cheerless place, with no stove in it and the floor disgustingly filthy. The party 
who had previously occupied it most certainly were proficient models of nastiness. 
We could not think of policing that night ; our minds were bent on having some 
hot coffee to warm us, and a night's rest. There being no opportunity to dry 
our blankets or clothing, we rolled in wet and left the drying to natural heat. 
I slept good and comfortable, and had no cause to complain. The rain con- 
tinued pouring down the whole night until nearly daylight. The day following 
(Sunday), the sun came out bright and clear, and gave us all an opportunity to 
dry our clothing, look around and unload the battery. The camp called ' Camp 
Parole' is large, and contains a great number of barracks, capable of accommo- 
dating, I should imagine, at least from 7,000 to 8,000 troops. They are large, 
well ventilated from the roof, and in the dampest weather can be kept very dry 
and comfortable. The number of paroled men does not exceed 800 at present. 
An Ohio regiment is doing guard duty here ; that duty being of the very strictest 
kind. The 100th Regiment, P. V.. is lying in the same row of barracks as we, 
awaiting a camping ground. Not having been accustomed to being so strictly 
watched and guarded as we were there, we became very anxious to change our 
quarters, which we did on Monday afternoon. We pitched our tents along the 
line of the railroad, about three quarters of a mile further away from Annapolis, 
to be able to obtain water for ourselves and horses. We were quartered in an 
old cornfield the sand being so loose that our tent pins would barely sustain 
the weight of the tent. We are furnished with very good tents, the same kind 
as we occupied at Camp Lacey. On Tuesday we again changed our quarters, 
moving only a few hundred yards to a much better piece of ground, and much 
nearer to the springs. Our nearest neighbors are a couple of negro regiments — 
the 29th Connecticut and the 26th New York. They are both very large regi- 



174 Durell's Battery. 

ments, numbering about iioo men each. They are as fine a looking set of 
darkies as can be scared up in a months' travels ; all young, healthy looking 
and robust. A more contented and happy lot of mortals you cannot find. 
They are always in an uproar ; at night they give us the benefit of some mag- 
nificent singing, as only darkies can give it. They are neat and cleanly in ap- 
pearance and by no means impudent or impertinent. There is quite a large 
number of them every day over in our camp. We are to have 20,000 of them in 
our corps. If all negro regiments are as fine a looking body of men and as well 
drilled as these are, no man need be ashamed to command a corps of them, for 
I think they will fight like demons. They have a very fine band in one of the 
regiments. The worst change to us here is doing without fire, having had such 
villainous weather. Rain and snow or slush has been the order of every day or 
night and very cold at that, being scarcely able to keep warm when rolled in 
our blankets. The remaining three old batteries of the corps are now here, 
but without horses or guns, having left them in East Tennessee. We are the 
only one that has its guns. I wish we could have turned in our whole battery 
and drawn everything new as they will do. But few of the old regiments of the 
corps are as yet here ; those remaining during the winter in Tennessee not hav- 
ing come up as yet. If reports are true we will have a terrible expedition to 
move from this place. I have understood there are to be fifty-six regiments of 
infantry, sixteen batteries and cavalry in proportion ; but as to the destination 
of the grand caravan, or any point at which the cages will be opened and the 
animals exhibited, we are all in the dark. We suppose somebody knows. 
Over half of our veterans have returned ; the remainder not reporting being 
considered as absent without leave. We also have thirty-four new men, the 
majority of whom have seen service in the nine months' regiments. They come 
from all parts of the country and will make good soldiers, as they are all young 
and healthy." 




Recruited, Refitted and Reorganized. 175 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Recruited, Refitted and Reorganized. 

BY the 4th of April, nearly all of the veterans had returned to 
duty at the camp at Annapolis, and enough recruits were 
received to fill the comphment of one hundred and fifty 
men. Foot and gun drills were immediately begun, which the 
recruits rapidly learned, and in which they acquired a fair degree 
of proficiency, under the example and tutelage of the veterans. 

A terrible storm burst upon the camp during the night of the 
9th, and John Rightmyer, from Reading, died suddenly the next 
morning. I.ieutenant-General Grant, who had just assumed com- 
mand of all the armies, visited the camp on the 13th and made 
an inspection of the Ninth Corps, just as they were, without any 
previous notification of his coming. Accompanied by General 
Burnside and two officers of his staff, he rode through the camps, 
seeming to take in everything at a glance. The cannoneers were 
hastily summoned to their guns and fired a salute as he approached. 

The battery received marching orders, and the next morning 
packed up at 5 o'clock and marched to the railroad station, where, 
after waiting until nearly night, cars were at last supplied, upon 
which the artillery and horses were loaded. The baggage wagons 
were left behind to bring the tents and other camp equipage by 
wagon road, accompanied by a detail of men under command of 
Lieutenant Leoser. The men accompanying the battery, under 
command of Lieutenant Silvis, were provided with transportation 
in freight cars. 

The train arrived in Washington at 3 o'clock on the following 
morning. At daybreak the men were summoned out to roll-call, 
after which they were marched to the "Soldier's Rest," and re- 
ceived a breakfast of pork, bread and wretched coffee. The bat- 
tery was then unloaded from the cars, and the remainder of the 
day was idled away at the depot until nearly night, when the com- 
mand was marched to Camp Marshall, where the shelter, or "dog" 
tents, were first introduced to the battery. They were issued in 
such small numbers that two pieces of the canvas had to suffice for 
the accommodation of three men. No poles came with the can- 



176 Durell's Battery. 

vas, so the men placed the pieces of canvas over the poles of the 
artillery carriages, and suspended them to the wheels or any available 
points from which a place of shelter could be constructed. Rain 
fell during the night, and the weather on the day following was 
very disagreeable. A detail of men was sent to the woods to cut 
tent-poles, after which there was some order in the arrangement of 
the camp. On the 17th the tents and guns were moved out of the 
mud caused by frequent rains. 

Captain Durell arrived in the camp on the i8th and was re- 
ceived with cheers by his command. He had been a long time 
absent on recruiting service, and his directing hand was needed in 
the reorganization of the battery. The camp was moved in the 
afternoon close to the banks of the Eastern Branch, the horses 
from a neighboring battery being detailed to help in the moving, 
because of the shortage in its own stock. About twenty-five men 
had gone out to headquarters after a requisition for new horses, 
but returned without them. They were, however, obtained the 
next day. 

'ihe battery was now located in what was known as Camp 
Marshall, situated near the rear of Lincoln Hospital. It was a 
camp of artillery instruction under command of Colonel Brady, an 
officer of the regular army, and a strict disciplinarian. The boys 
murmured and growled considerably under the orders which re- 
(juircd them to come up to the discipline of the regular service. 
The colonel, besides, was very excitable and profane when any- 
thing came under his eye that he did not like. Riding up to the 
camp on one occasion, he fumed and swore at the guard on the 
beat in front of the captain's tent, because he failed to see the 
colonel approaching in time to give him the proper salute. Cap- 
tain Durell stepped out of his tent and said : "Colonel, I don't 
swear at my men, and I won't allow any one else to do so." The 
colonel cooled down at once, knowing full well that he had viola- 
ted one of the Articles of VVar i)rohibiting profanity. The camp 
was visited by inspecting officers who went through the battery and 
condemned everything that was not in first class order. The sur- 
geons also made a thorough inspection of the camp grounds, tents 
and clothing of the men. 

Lieutenant Leoscr arrived from Annapolis on the 23rd with 
the baggage wagons and camp equipage. The A-tents were put 
up and the men were more comfortably (juartered. The ranks 
were now pretty well filled, but a few of the men had not yet re- 



Recruited, Refitted and Reorganipced. 177 

turned from their veteran furlough, one of whom, Henry Row, was 
under arrest in Philadelphia. A very heavy shower of rain fell on 
the night of the 24th, which flooded many of the men out of their 
tents. I'here were indications of active service for the army soon, 
such as the receipt of orders by the hospitals to provide room for 
15,000 men, from which it was presumed that Grant intended to 
move against Lee at an early day. 

On the 25th, before the morning drill, the promotions on the 
non-commissioned staff made by the captain in the reorganization, 
were announced to the company. Two lieutenants were also 
appointed to fill vacancies. The new lieutenants were both from 
Berks County : Samuel H. Rhoads, veteran, from sixth duty ser- 
geant ; Henry Sailor, veteran, from third duty sergeant. Orderly 
Sergeant William P. Andrews, from Bucks, was reduced to the 
ranks, and Harrison G. Bouse, veteran, from Berks, was promoted 
to the place from first duty sergeant ; Quartermaster, Azariah L. 
Ratz, from Berks, not promoted, not re-enlisted ; First Duty Ser- 
geant, B. Frank Bender, from Chester County, promoted from 
sixth sergeant, not re-enlisted ; Second Sergeant, Samuel K. VVhit- 
ner, veteran, from Berks, promoted from fifth sergeant ; Third 
Sergeant, John O. Burden, from Berks, promoted from fourth cor- 
poral, not re-enlisted ; Fourth Sergeant, James T>. Mast, veteran, 
Berks County, from ninth corporal ; Fifth Sergeant, Adley B. Law- 
rence, veteran, Chester County, from eleventh corporal; Sixth 
Sergeant, Abraham D. Blundin, veteran, Bucks County, from sixth 
corporal. 

Corporals. — First, Amos Bechtel, Berks County, from fourth 
corporal, not re-enhsted ; Second, Oliver D. (iiffins, Lehigh 
County, from fifth corporal, not re-enlisted ; Third, Robert Conard, 
Bucks County, not promoted, not re-enlisted ; Fourth, George Hart, 
Berks County, veteran, from twelfth corporal ; Fifth, Mahlon B. 
Buckman, Bucks County, not promoted, re-enlisted ; Sixth, 
L Carey Carver, Bucks County, not promoted, not re-enlisted ; 
Seventh, A. J. Schweimler, veteran, Berks County, from private : 
Eighth, Jacob L. Beam, veteran, Chester County ; Ninth, Charles 
A. Cuffel, veteran, Bucks County, from private; Tenth, Henry G. 
Graul, veteran, Berks County, from private ; Eleventh, Bertolette 
Y. Yoder, Berks County, from private, not re-enlisted ; Twelfth, 
G. Ross Carver, Bucks County, from private, not re-enlisted. 

Buglers. — Joseph M. Cuffel, veteran, Bucks County, not pro- 
moted ; Benneville Bertolette, Berks County, recruit. Company 
Clerk, John Shrade, Berks County, recruit. 



1 78 Dlrell's Battery. 

On the same day the Xinth Army Corps, which had marched 
from Annapolis, passed through Washington into Virginia. It was 
an armyinitself, numbering about thirty thousand men, and attracted 
almost the entire population of the city to Pennsylvania Avenue as 
the long column passed through to the front. General Burnside, 
whose headquarters had been established in the city for some days, 
was out to re\'iew his troops, and was most heartily cheered as reg- 
iment after regiment passed by. The battery was not able to join 
the corps, not yet ha\'ing completed its outfit. New harness was 
received which required time to adjust to fit the horses, and new 
clothing was issued to the men. 

On the morning of the 28th the battery was taken to the 
arsenal, where the old guns, which were of 2-9 10 inches calibre, 
were turned in and 3-inch Parrott rifles received in their place. 
They threw the Hotchkiss ammunition, and adopting the 3-inch 
calibre did away with the necessity of carr}ing two sizes of projec- 
tiles for the rifled batteries of the corps. While the batter}' was at 
the arsenal, marching orders came to the camp and the men who 
were left there immediately began to pack up. Returning to camp 
and feeding the horses everything was in readiness to move at 5 
o'clock, when the command marched out from Camp Marshall, 
glad to get away from the rigorous command of Colonel Brady. 

The route was up to the Capitol, down Pennsy\ania Avenue 
to the Long Bridge and across into \'irginia to Alexandria, near 
the suburbs of which city the battery parked at about 8 o'clock. 
Not a fence or tree was anywhere near to provide poles and pins 
for the tents, so the tarpaulins were spread upon the ground for 
the men to sleep upon. The night was cold and the bed hard and 
comfortless. The horses were hitched to the batter}- early the next 
morning, but it did not move until 11 o'clock Two men were to 
be shot in a camp close by. but orders came to move just before 
the execution took place. One of them had deserted to the enemy 
and joined a band of guerillas, and the other one had jumped sev- 
eral bounties. The escort for the day was the 14th New York 
Heavy Artillery, which had been performing garrison duty in Fort 
Schuyler, New York ; but the militia of that State had relieved 
them, and they were sent to the front in the capacity of infantry. 
The regiment was dissatisfied with the change, and complained 
that they were badly treated in being debarred from the branch of 
service for which they had enlisted. The weather became very 
hot during the day, and many men of the regiment threw away 



: tiiey were canning. The 

:s. bkynses. blanket;, siioes, 

boots, etc ::eiyfa''ked nearFaiitkxat dask jAdtfae^^xt, 

7 r T tents, bat slept on 

eiy mardted over the 
rr I'ccasions — to CentrPfiBe 
5 ev^ HHwe desolate and 
than it was before. The fences were all gone, much 
ad bee: iv, and few bailduigs were left, 

had one r - 1 of about a doaen booses, had 

. i CentreviDe was wiped out. so £u- as bnildii^ 
f r": rer vents of ookned troops 
7 r '.sagned to the Ninth 
7 r . iiteiT eacamped for the 
night ne ? - fell; bnt the 

tents wzr aest day the 

march was rr - :ver the scene 

of the 1^ - - - " -7- iS6-. 

It -!^er: : -h stores 

r : r : > ; three or font of them together. 



Corps, was passe : 



attacks. 




i8o Durell's Battery, 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

From the Rapidan to Petersburg. 

THE battery was now with its corps, and every preparation 
was made for an advance into the enemy's country, and 
for the battles which were sure to follow on meeting him. 
General Burnside had printed circulars distributed among his 
troops, which advised them what measures to adopt for the preser- 
vation of health and comfort while on the march and in certain 
exigencies of battle, and especially cautioned them not to straggle, 
which would make them liable to capture and confinement in the 
enemy's prisons. 

General (irant, with the Second, Fifth and Sixth Army Corps, 
crossed the Rapidan on May 4th. His official report says : 

"General Burnside, with the Ninth Corps, was left at the crossing of the 
Rappahannock River and Alexandria Railroad, holding the road back to Bui) 
Run, with instructions not to move until he received notice that a crossing of 
the Rapidan was secured, but to move promptly as soon as such notice was re- 
ceived. This crossing he was apprised of on the afternoon of the 4th. By 6 
o'clock of the morning of the 6th, he was leading his corps into action near the 
Wilderness Tavern, some of his troops having marched a distance of over 
thirty miles, crossing both the Rappahannock and Rapidan Rivers. Considering 
that a large proportion, probably two-thirds of his command, was composed of 
new troops, unaccustomed to marches, and carrying the accoutrements of a 
soldier, this was a remarkable march." 

In the reorganization of the corps, Durell's Battery was as- 
signed to the Fourth Division, which was composed of colored troops 
from the Northern States, commanded by General Ferrero. This 
division was left behind to convoy the supply trains of the Army of 
the Potomac, which were many miles in length. The division 
with the wagon trains followed the same road that the other 
divisions of the corps had taken, crossing the Rapidan at Germania 
Ford. Ihe weather was hot, compelling the marching troops to 
divest themselves of all superfluous baggage, as well as of many ar- 
ticles that were necessary for their comfort. The roadsides were 
strewn with overcoats, shoes, knapsacks and other articles which 
had been thrown away by the troops in order to lighten tlie bur- 
dens which became too heavy for the march. 








f^^^'^^^vig^-^'U 




THE WILDERNESS 



From the Rapidan to Petersburg. i8i 

The supply trains were kept well up with the rear of the army, 
and when Grant left the Wilderness to make his flank movement 
on Spottsylvania Court House, they were advanced to Chancellors- 
ville and beyond. 

In his Memoirs General Grant states that 
" There never was a corps better organized than was the c|uartermaster's 
corps with the Army of the Potomac in 1864. With a wagon-train that would 
have extended from the Rapidan to Richmond, stretched along in single file and 
separated as the teams necessarily would be when moving, we could still carry 
only three days' forage and about ten to twelve days' rations, besides a supply 
of ammunition. To overcome all difficulties, the chief quartermaster, General 
Rufus Ingalls, had marked on each wagon the corps badge with the division 
color and the number of the brigade. At a glance, the particular brigade to 
which any wagon belonged could be told. The wagons were also marked to 
note the contents : if ammunition, whether for artillery or infantry; if forage, 
whether grain or hay ; if rations, whether bread, pork, beans, rice, sugar, coffee 
or whatever it might be. Empty wagons were never allowed to follow the army 
or stay in camp. As soon as a wagon was empty it would return to the base of 
supply for a load of precisely the same article that had been taken from it. 
Empty trains were obliged to leave the road free for loaded ones. Arriving near 
the army they would be parked in fields nearest to the brigades they belonged 
to. Issues, except of ammunition, were made at night in all cases. By this 
system the hauling of forage for the supply train was almost wholly dispensed 
with. They consumed theirs at the depots." 

The Wilderness, henceforth to be historic, stretches westward 
from Chancellorsville. The region for the space of a dozen miles 
contains iron ore, mines of which had been worked many years. 
It is said that here were erected the first regular iron furnaces in 
North America. The forests had been cut down to furnish fuel 
for these furnaces. The soil being generally poor, the region was 
left to Nature, which soon covered it with a dense mass of dwarf 
pines, scrub oaks, chinquapins and the hke. Every stump left by 
the woodman's axe sent up a cluster of sprouts in place of the 
parent trunk. Whortleberries and brambles of every kind twined 
and matted themselves into thickets through which the solitary 
huntsman could make his way only by dragging his rifle after him. 
Here and there was a little habitation with a small clearing around 
it, surrounded by the forests. The road penetrating the thickets 
were mostly mere wood-paths. In the Wilderness and upon its 
borders, Lee, with his army, had within a year and a day thrice to 
encounter and foil the Army of the Potomac under the successive 
commands of Hooker, Meade and Grant. 

The battery encamped on Chancellorsville Heights, not far 
from the spot where Jackson fell after his thirty thousand Confed- 



i82 Durell's Battery. 

erates had completed the famous flank movement against Hooker's 
weak right, and stampeded the Eleventh Corps. Its guns were 
posted in the same earth-works in which Pleasanton had posted 
his battery of artillery along with a score of guns which he suc- 
ceeded in getting into position out of the confused mass around, 
and double-shotting the guns, swept the columns of the enemy away 
like chaff. They returned again and again to the charge, and at 
one time came within fifty yards of the guns. Had they known it 
(for night had set in), they might have captured them, for the ar- 
tillery was without infantry support. Pleasanton had but two 
squadrons of raw cavalry, which he disposed in a single line, with 
drawn sabres, in the rear of his batteries, with orders to charge 
should the enemy come up to the guns. 

Plain and plentiful evidence of the terrible carnage of that 
battle were yet visible on every hand. The ground, especially in 
the woods bordering the open space where Pleasanton's batteries 
were posted, was littered with the accoutrements, arms and cloth- 
ing of soldiers, and the bones and skulls of the dead. The stench 
arising from this mass of decayed human flesh and bone was sick- 
ening. The puddles of water made by the May showers were in 
some places covered with maggots. It was one of the dark, horri- 
ble-pictures of war which General Sherman so aptly defined as 
" hell." 

The battery arrived at Chancellorsville on the loth, where 
preparations were made for an expected attack on the wagon trains. 
The sentinels were given strict orders to give the alarm in case any 
unusual sound was heard in the front. An ambulance train, loaded 
with wounded soldiers, passed by at midnight on the way to Fred- 
ericksburg. Heretofore the Army of the Potomac had been obliged 
to retreat across the Rappahannock every time after it had crossed 
to the south side of that famous stream, subjecting its rear 
and the stragglers to capture by the enemy's cavalry, which gath- 
ered on each occasion many prisoners and large supplies. It was 
probably with the hope of a similar opportunity, or of finding a 
vulnerable point in the line guarding the sup])ly trains, that a body 
of their cavalry kept hovering in close proximity. So it behooved 
the division guarding the immense trains of wagons to keep on the 
alert for an attack upon them. 

The whole command was called out at i o'clock on the morn- 
ing of the 12II1, in the midst of heavy rain which had been falling 
all night long, and ordered to be in readiness to move at a mo- 




IN THE WILDERNESS— THIRTY years after 



From the Rapidan to Petersburg. 183 

ment's notice. About the same time several cannon shots, evi- 
dently not far distant, were heard to the left. It was thought that 
a fight was imminent, but nothing further transpired. At daylight 
the battle at Spottsylvania was begun, the fire increasing in volume 
until 9.30, when there was a lull, only to break forth anew with 
increased fury soon after. Little cannonading was heard, the dense 
woods and undergrowth being an obstacle to the use of artillery. 
All the while rain fell in torrents, but the storm seemed to be 
no hindrance to the fighting. At noon the use of artillery was in- 
creased which was followed by heavy musketry and continued until 
after dark. The horses were kept hitched to the battery all night 
in readiness to move. 

The next morning came with showers of rain, and, toward 
noon, heavy firing was again heard. The harness was removed 
from the horses, but put on again in the evening, and everything 
ordered to be in readiness to meet any emergency. Several mus- 
ket shots were heard in close proximity during the night, supposed 
to be firing on the picket hne. The 14th opened with disagree- 
able and rainy weather. The horses were hitched up every even- 
ing, and each morning dawned with rain falling, which was very 
heavy on the 15th. About noon a body of the enemy's cavalry 
made a dash on the picket line at a point close by where the right 
section of Durell's Battery was posted, but the attack was gallantly 
repulsed by a regiment of the colored troops. An hour afterward 
the command moved a distance of about three miles on the road 
toward Fredericksburg, and encamped on a very muddy piece of 
ground between two regiments of colored troops. All was very 
quiet along the front line the next day, but the horses were kept 
hitched to the gun-carriages the entire day in readiness to move. 

On the morning of the 17th, the horses were unharnessed and 
given a thorough grooming, which they were badly in need of, and 
the colored regiments were set to drilling. Late in the afternoon 
the battery was again on the march, and parked that night on the 
old Confederate camp ground at Salem Church, five miles from 
Fredericksburg. The whole army was making a flank movement 
to the left from Spottsylvania. All was quiet the next day. A 
brigade of cavalry came in from the Rappahannock River, which 
reported that it had an engagement with the enemy at United 
States Ford, in which it lost several of its men in killed and wounded. 
The battery remained here until the 21st, when it marched across 
the country regardless of roads, and passed through woods and 



184 Durf.ll's Battery. 

fields to reach another section of the supply train than the one 
which it had been guarding. A stop was made for the night in a 
thicket and the horses kept in the harness with orders to move at 
a moment's notice. Tine Bowling Green road was reached the 
next morning and the supply train passed down the valley. In the 
evening camp was j^itched near Guinea Station in a very dusty field. 

The battery was called up at 3 o'clock on the morning of the 
23rd, and awaited the order to march until 5 P. M., before a start 
was made. The weather was very warm. Passing through Bowl- 
ing Green, it bivouacked a mile from Milford Station at 10 P. M. 
All of the next day was spent at this place. A section of country 
was now entered that had not been traversed by either army, and 
it presented opportunities for the boys to indulge in foraging. 
Leaf tobacco was found in great quantities, which the men brought 
into camp hy the armload, and all the cigar makers in the com- 
mand were at once put to work in fiUing "hurry orders" for 
cigars, which were called " Rappahannocks." The leaf was suit- 
able for the manufacture of smoking tobacco, but furnished some- 
thing awful in the form of a cigar. The location of the camp was 
very inconvenient, water for the horses being a mile distant. 

The battery marched again on the 25th, crossing the Matta- 
pony River and encamped two miles beyond, at Wright's Tavern, 
where two days' stop was made. Here a long train of empty 
wagons passed down to the White House, where a new base of 
supphes had been established. While at this place several hun- 
dred of the enemy's prisoners were brought in under guard from the 
front, on the way to Fredericksburg. On the afternoon of the 
27th a countermarch was ordered, the Mattapony recrossed, and a 
halt for supper made at Milford, after which the column pro- 
ceeded on a course down the eastern side of the Mattapony. It 
was on the move all night over bad roads and the battery several 
times stuck in the mud, from which it was extricated with difficulty. 
The army was now making a flank movement from the North Anna 
to Cold Harbor. 

The men were very much worn by the march and from the 
loss of sleej) when the battery went into park the next morning. 
The country abounded in forage, some of tlie men even revelling 
in the luxury of chicken. The march was again taken up at 3 
o'clock in the afternoon, ])assing through Newtown, and con- 
tinued until 3 o'clock the next morning, when the command turned 
into i)ark and remained there until the morning of the 30th, when 




SPOTTSYLVANIA— ONE YEAR AFTER THE BATTLE 

(From a photograph taken at that time) 



From the Rapidan to Petersburg. 185 

it again crossed the Mattapony River, at Dunkirk, passing on 
through Ayletsville, moving at a rapid pace. The weather was very 
hot and the roads were dusty from the grinding process to which 
they had been subjected by the wheels of the supply trains. The 
fences on the road side were on fire, the smoke and heat arising 
from them adding to the discomfort of the marching column. The 
day's march ended near the Pamunkey River. 

At I o'clock P. M. on the 31st the Pamunkey was crossed on 
a pontoon bridge, and camp was estabUshed on the south bank of 
that stream, the tents being pitched on a splendid piece of sod. 
The facilities for bathing in the river being very good, a large 
number of the men availed themselves of the opportunity to wash 
the accumulation of Virginia dirt from their persons. Heavy can- 
nonading was heard down the river. 

No movement was made on June ist, and the men were 
afforded an opportunity for letter- writing. The whole division of 
the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps (what was left of them) passed by 
on the way north to be mustered out of service, their term of 
enlistment having expired. They were a happy lot of men. They 
had under guard 500 Confederate prisoners, who were corre- 
spondingly depressed. The Reserves also carried with them a 
large number of letters just written by the men of the battery to 
be dropped at the first post-office reached. 

The weather was very hot on June 2nd, when the pontoon 
bridge was taken up. Tne battery followed the train for a distance 
of four miles, and encamped in a clean field near wood and water. 
The report of heavy cannonading was heard from the front, which 
proved to be the opening of the battle at Cold Harbor. A march 
of about two miles followed on the next day, and an encampment 
made in a cornfield, where the battery remained until the morning 
of the 6th. The sounds of battle indicated that there was very 
ht avy fighting at the front. 

The next march of the battery was made to Old Church 
Tavern, where it took position for action in an apple orchard, and 
the colored troops were put to work at building earthworks. On 
the following day the position was well intrenched to meet an attack 
fro n the enemy. Some of the men were still suffering from the 
effects of the severe campaign which they had gone through in 
Mississippi the previous summer, being laid up with an occasional 
attack of chills and fever. The atmosphere of the Chickahominy 
country, upon the verge of which the army had now approached, 



i86 Durell's Battery. 

was no doubt an exciting cause of the increase in the number of 
such cases. But malaria was deep seated and had fastened its hold 
upon the constitution of the men who had passed through that 
trying campaign. 

On the afternoon of the loth the supply trains were attacked 
by the enemy's cavalry, but it was met by a body of Union cavalry, 
which, although driven in some distance, repelled the attack after 
a short and sharp engagement. The battery was quickly advanced 
and the guns placed in position for action just outside the park, but 
the enemy was repulsed before he came within range. The next 
day everything was ordered to be packed up in readiness to move, 
but at noon the cavalry and infantry that had gone out returned to 
their camps, and the battery was ordered to unpack and remain 
quiet. 

The march was again resumed on the morning of the 12th, 
encamping in the afternoon about eight miles from the White 
House. The roads were heavy, and delays were caused by the 
teams sticking in the mud. Another flank movement was now in 
progress from Cold Harbor to the James River. In the execution 
of this manoeuvre the supply trains made a wide detour to Charles 
City Court House. They moved at 10 o'clock the next morning, 
the column marching forward at a quick pace until night, when it 
encamped at New Kent Court House. The whole corps had 
marched together in the morning, but was again separated before 
night by the three white divisions branching off to the right from 
the course which the division guarding the supply trains was pur- 
suing. 

Reveille was sounded at 3 o'clock on the morning of the 14th. 
A rapid march was made until 9 o'clock, nearly the entire route 
being through woods, when the battery parked in a corn field. 

The next morning the march was begun at 10 o'clock, and 
kept up until dark, when the command bivouacked in the woods 
about a mile from the banks of the historic Chickahominy River. 
Here a stampede occurred among a portion of the colored infantry 
during the night. It was created by a drove of beef cattle running 
through the bivouac of the trooi)s and knocking over their stacked 
arms. There was some shooting, but order was restored before 
much damage was done. 

The 1 6th was a very hot day, and, as was invariably the case 
when llie weather was hot, the march was longest and most weary. 
The Chickaliomin) was crossed, and, after an hour's halt to allow 



From the Rapidan to Petersburg. 187 

the trains to pass forward, the march was continued to within two 
miles of Charles City Court House, where the battery took position 
in fortifications which had been occupied by troops of the Sixth 
Corps. Here it remained until 10 o'clock the next morning, when 
it crossed the James River on a pontoon bridge constructed of 
every sort of craft that could be impressed for the purpose, from a 
canal boat to a large schooner. The battery, with a support of in- 
fantry, were the last troops of the column to cross over to the south 
side of the stream. The march across the Peninsula was a hard 
one. The columns were often on the road all night, living on ten 
'' hard tack " and a half ration of beef per day. 

In the evening of the i6th, just after the battery had pitched its 
tents on the banks of the James, a Confederate battery suddenly 
appeared on the hills upon the other side of the river, and opened its 
guns on the transports and the Third Vermont Battery which was 
encamped near by. A gunboat, lying down the stream, drew up 
to the bridge and replied to the enemy, who did not at first take 
notice of these shots, directing all his fire upon the transports ; 
but it did not require more than a dozen from the superior guns 
and service of the gunboat to get the range and drive the Confed- 
erate battery out of sight. The enemy's shots inflicted no serious 
damage, but the two batteries took the precaution to move back to 
the hills to a less exposed location, where they would not be liable 
again to such a sudden surprise as the enemy had just sprung upon 
them. 

The reveille was sounded at 5 o'clock on the morning of the 
iS.th, and an hour later the column was in motion, moving rapidly 
towards Petersburg, where a battle was in progress. A halt was 
made at 2 o'clock, long enough to cook a cup of coffee, after which 
it pushed forward rapidly until 9 o'clock, when it reached the outer 
line of intrenchments at Petersburg from which the enemy had 
been driven. It was a hard day's march. Very few tents were 
put up that night, for it was difficult to find material for poles and 
pins in the darkness. 

The next morning it was seen that the battery was within a 
mile and a half of Petersburg, with a |)ortion of the city in siglit. 



1 88 Durell's Battery. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Assaulting the Petersburg Lines. 

THE attack made on the enemy's position on the iSth of 
June, the brunt of which fell upon the Second and Ninth 
Corps, proved that the bulk of Lee's army had arrived, and 
that the new line of intrenchments which he had thrown up were 
too strong to be taken by assault. So the army settled down to 
besiege Petersburg, and invest it by extending the Union left so as 
to cut off railroad communication. Brisk firing was kept up on the 
skirmish line which was varied by an occasional outbreak of artil- 
lery fire. 

On the night of the 20th, after Bugler Joseph M. Cuffel had 
blown tattoo and one half the men were asleep, the command was 
aroused by the bugle sounding ' ' Boots and Saddles. ' ' While the 
men were packing and hitching up, the captain rode up to the 
point which his battery was to occupy, and returned in about an 
hour. The command then moved out of camp, passed through a 
woods and posted the guns for action in the front line of earth- 
works on the left of the Ninth Corps' hne, relieving Romer's Bat- 
tery, which had occupied the position since the i8th. 

The sharpshooters on either side of the contending lines were 
from two hundred to three hundred yards apart, posted in trees, 
buildings, haystacks, rifle-pits and any place that afforded eminence 
or protection for their operations. Some of those on the Union 
side were but one hundred and fifty to two hundred yards in front of 
the battery. It was discovered early the next morning that the ex- 
posure of a head or any moving object above the top of the earth- 
works, would be instantly greeted by bullets from the enemy. The 
men were obliged, therefore, to keep under cover. The caissons had 
been left back in camp, and pits were dug for the protection of the 
ammunition chests, which were taken off the limbers of the gun- 
carriages. Cooked rations were taken to the men in the intrench- 
ments from the cook-house back in the camp. The battery opened 
on the enemy's works in the course of the day, to which he made 
a feeble reply. 



Assaulting the Petersburg Lines. 189 

On the 22nd Captain Durell was ordered to open his guns on a 
haystack located between the lines to dislodge some troublesome 
sharpshooters. After expending several rounds of time shell the 
stack took fire and no further annoyance was experienced from that 
quarter. This drew the fire of the enemy's batteries and there 
was a Hvely artillery duel, which ended in the enemy's guns being 
silenced. David Walters, from Reading, was wounded during the 
day while in his tent. He was lying upon his side when a rifle 
ball struck a tree, and, glancing from it, entered his back. The 
wound was not considered dangerous. Near midnight the mus- 
ketry and cannonading became quite heavy, the battery participa- 
ting. The flurry was brought on by a dash from the enemy while 
the Union pickets were being relieved. 

On the following day the battery opened upon another hay- 
stack, and during the night replied to an attack of the enemy upon 
the Union skirmish line, which was repulsed, when the firing sub- 
sided and the men turned in to sleep. Three diff"erent attacks by 
the enemy were handsomely repulsed during the day. Picket 
firing was kept up incessantly, night and day. Nearly every night 
when the pickets were relieved, the enemy opened with volleys of 
musketry, when the bullets flew thick over the earthworks occupied 
by the battery. This was equivalent to the command " Cannon- 
eers, to your posts," for all hands ran to their posts at the guns as 
quickly as possible. 

On the evening of the 24th the battery opened with a few shots 
in anticipation of the regular attack on the picket line, but the 
enemy kept quiet. The next evening, at dusk, a very heavy fire 
of musketry opened, which brought on quite a lively engagement 
between the artillery on both sides, in which Durell' s Battery ex- 
pended several rounds of ammunition. The battle continued for 
nearly an hour, when it ceased as suddenly as it had begun. The 
men received a ration of fresh bread, the first that had been issued 
since the departure from Washington. It was the size of the com- 
mon loaf of the baker, and many of the men consumed it at one 
meal. 

Mortars had now been brought into use along the line of 
intrenchments in front of Petersburg, two of which were located on 
the right of the battery, and four more were planted on the left of 
it on the night of the 26th. llie enemy had also begun to use 
this engine of warfare on the Union lines, the exploding shells of 
which were much more dreaded by the men than those shot from 



190 Durell's Battery. 

cannon, for they seemed to drop down from the sky without warn- 
ing and burst within the breastworks. Exposure to mortar shelling 
was a new experience which the men regarded as a contemptible 
scheme to make a soldier's life wretched. 

The weather was hot, and the close confinement in the forti- 
fications, above the parapet of which it was dangerous to show so 
much as a hand to the enemy's view, made them anything but a 
desirable summer resort. The fighting during the daytime was 
principally confined to the skirmish line, varied by an occasional 
artillery or mortar duel. When not engaged in the line of duty, 
the men passed the time in reading all the books and papers that 
could be obtained, writing letters and in sleep. 

The enemy opened a heavy fire from his artillery on the 27th, 
from a new fort erected in the edge of a woods nearly in front of 
Durell's Battery, their operations having been concealed by a smoky 
fire. Their shots were first directed upon the mortars recently 
placed on the Union line. Durell's and several other batteries 
promptly replied. Accurate shots were made, some of the shells 
exploding in the embrasures of the enemy's forts, which soon 
silenced his guns. His last few shots were directed at Durell's 
Battery, and resulted in kiUing two horses and wounding two men. 
Daniel D. Armel, from Berks County, was mortally wounded by a 
solid shot that rolled back to the caisson camp and struck him on 
the head while lying in his tent. He was taken to the field hospi- 
tal where he died a few days afterward. The other man was 
Joseph Lear, from Bucks County, who went clown into the Big 
Black River with the caisson when the bridge broke, and whose 
adventure on that occasion has been referred to. He was struck 
on the arm by a spent musket-ball, receiving but a slight wound. 
He was able to carry a kettle of soup the same day from camp up 
to the men in the trenches. The left section of the battery was 
moved to a new position some distance to the left, and the men 
put to work at strengthening the fortification. 

The Confederates now began to use their mortars more 
freciuently, and kept the batterymen busy either in replying or in 
hugging the breast works for hours at a time. The fortifications 
were strengthened by placing bags of sand on the parapets. On 
the 30th another severe engagement was begun by the enemy on 
the right, which extended to Durell's front and in which the guns 
of the battery took part. For a time the air was full of bursting 
shells and bullets. Henry S. Rogers, from Reading, was wounded 



Assaulting the Petersburg Lines. 191 

while in the woods cutting logs for the earthworks, llie ball struck 
his shoe and caused a painful bruise of the foot. George F. Lud- 
wig, from Berks County, had his pantaloons and leg of his boot 
pierced by a bullet, the ball lodging in the boot. He was not hurt, 
but it was regarded by the boys as a very close call. During the 
night a very lively duel took place in the woods to the right. 

There was unusual quiet along the lines on the morning of 
July ist. Even the skirmish fire had almost ceased ; but at about 
midnight a storm broke, when the cannonading and musketry fire 
was quite heavy. The men were called up to the guns, but they 
were not opened. The time was passed in watching the shells 
flying through the air, streaking the darkness with tails of fire, hke 
a shower of meteors falling from the sky. It was a spectacle 
terribly grand. 

Nothing unusual occurred on the 4th, although it was reported 
that General Grant had ordered an assault to be made upon the 
enemy on that day. The day, however, was celebrated by the 
distribution of pickles and onions among the troops, which were 
gratefully received. A ship load of these very acceptable articles 
of food had been sent from New York to the Army of the Potomac. 

The horses, with the exception of a few retained for the use 
of the officers and orderlies, were sent back to the caisson park, as 
they were unnecessarily exposed while at the front to the enemy's 
fire. The caisson park was under the command of Lieutenant 
Samuel H. Rhoads, chief of the line of caissons. The cannoneers 
remained with their pieces in the trenches, almost constantly 
exposed to the bursting mortar shells and the whizzing bullets, the 
latter being sure to pass in close proximity to any one who had the 
temerity to show head or hand above the top of the earth works, 
if they did not hit him. 'I'he monotony of this duress was fre- 
(juently broken by an artillery duel, which was liable to break out 
at any time during the day or night. The men made themselves 
as comfortable as circumstances and the circumscribed Hmits of the 
fortifications permitted, a number of them having brought in from 
the woods poles and pine branches of which very good beds were 
made. 

The battery was relieved on the night of the 9th by the 19th 
New York Battery, having held this position, on the most hotly 
contested point on the line, just nineteen days. Horses were 
brought forward and the pieces taken out of the fortifications, and 
moved to the other portion of the command at the caisson park. 



192 Durell's Battery. 

The day following, after the usual Sunday morning inspection, a 
march of about three miles was made to the left, where a good 
camp ground was taken in a pine woods. It had been the camp- 
ing place of troops that had recently been ordered elsewhere, and 
they had left a good supply of boards, crotches, poles and other 
material found in the construction of comfortable quarters. The 
men soon fitted up quarters for themselves that were luxurious in 
comparison with those they had left in the trenches. The tar- 
paulins were used as tents. They were spread upon high poles, 
which permitted the construction of bunks, elevated two feet from 
the ground. Branches of cedar were placed on the bunks and 
made a very comfortable bed. 

The enjoyment of these pleasant surroundings was, however, 
cut short by the receipt of marching orders on the 12th. The bat- 
tery then moved to the north side of the Petersburg and Norfolk 
Railroad, encamping in a wheatfield, where the infantry of the 
division was set to work in building earthworks for the battery. 
Water was very scarce at this place. The weather was hot and the 
ground parched with drought. There had been no rain for more 
than two months, and the soil was ground so fine by the tramp of 
troops and the grinding wheels of the artillery and baggage trains 
that every httle breeze filled the air with clouds of dust. This 
movement of the corps was made to meet an expected attack by a 
heavy column of the enemy which had made its appearance on the 
Union left and rear. Everything was in commotion, the troops 
being rapidly pushed forward to the point threatened, and the bag- 
gage and supply trains rumbled as rapidly to the rear. 

The colored troops worked earnestly upon the fort until the 
1 6th, when it was completed and the guns of the battery were 
placed in it ready for action. It was situated on a landed estate 
near a fine mansion surrounded by a grove of large shade trees, 
with a splendid young apple orchard near by, all of which were cut 
down and the limbs pointed and used as abatis for the defence of 
the fort and intrenchments extending from the right and left of it. 
One very large tree remained lodged against the mansion where it 
had fallen when it was cut. Three negro huts that stood as an ob- 
struction to the range of the guns were burned to the ground. 
All the woods in the vicinity of the fort were cut down, both to 
clear the view and to place a strong obstacle in the way of an 
assaulting column, which the tangled mass of prostrate trunks and 
limbs of the trees furnished. A large woods more distant was set 



Assaulting the Petersburg Lines. 193 

on fire and consumed. Fort Durell (for so it was named) was 
built of logs and earth, and had capacity for eighteen guns. It 
was surrounded by a moat twelve feet wide, and was connected by 
a line of intrenchments to the right and left, which were filled 
with the infantry of the corps. The Norfolk Railroad ran directly 
in front under cover of the guns. 

On the day after the arrival at this place each detachment of 
the battery was sent across the road to dig a well for a supply of 
water for its own use. They were dug on a low piece of ground 
on the edge of a dry swamp. One day's work of digging from 
seven to fourteen feet in depth sufficed to obtain six wells of pretty 
good water, in quantity sufficient to supply the men and horses. 
The caissons were sent back into a woods about half a mile dis- 
tant, where a comfortable camp was estabhshed for 'hat portion of 
the command. The engineer corps, under command of Captain 
Howard, assisted by a detail of colored troops, constructed a large 
and substantial magazine within the confines of the fort, and the 
artillerists made comfortable quarters for themselves. The assault 
of the enemy was expected to be made on the night of the 17th, 
and an extra supply of canister was brought up from the caissons. 
A much- needed all-day rain fell on the 20th, which refreshed both 
nature and humanity. On the 21st, Captain Durell left for his 
home on sick leave, and the battery was turned over to the com- 
mand of Lieutenant Silvis. The captain had been for some time 
in poor health, and the men, who greatly admired their old com- 
mander, were fearful that he would not be able to return to them. 

Marching orders were received on the 22nd, when the troops 
on this portion of the line were relieved by a division of the Second 
Army Corps, the First New Hampshire Battery taking the position 
made vacant by the removal of Durell' s Battery. These two 
commands were old friends, the two batteries having encamped 
side by side during the first winter of the service, near Munson's 
Hill, Virginia. Durell' s Battery marched back to the place that it 
had occupied previous to taking its first position in the intrench- 
ments in front of Petersburg, where it again encamped. Here the 
gun and field drills were resumed, and the harness and guns cleaned 
and burnished. There had been no opportunity for drills since 
the departure from Warrenton Junction at the opening of the 
campaign. 

On Sunday night the 24th, a wind and rain storm set in which 
increased until midnight, when it became so severe as to blow 



194 Durell's Battery. 

down half of the tents and drown the men out of their beds. Some 
of them got up and reset their tents, but others lay still and 
accepted the situation very philosophically. After tattoo, on the 
25th, orders were received to hitch up to the pieces and take them 
to the intrenchments at the front. The position assigned to the 
battery was in Fort Morton, a large earth work just completed, 
back of an apple orchard, distant about 500 yards to the left of 
the first position occupied by it at the beginning of the siege. Six 
32-pounders had been placed in the fort on the day previous. 
The interior was very much crowded ; so much so that the men 
were scarcely able to stretch themselves at full length for sleep. At 
this point the firing on both sides of the Hnes was kept up by the 
skirmishers and sharpshooters incessantly, day and night, with fre- 
quent duels between the artillery and mortar batteries, which were 
sure to bring a shower of bursting shells in and about the fort. It 
was apparently masked behind the orchard, but it was doubtful 
whether the enemy was ignorant of its existence. Certain it was, 
that he fired enough shot and shell in its direction to confirm the 
belief that it was the object of the aim of his gunners. 

Two hundred rounds of ammunition were received on the 
night of the 27th and stored in the magazine of the fort. The 
colored division and the Second Division of the Ninth Corps were 
brought up in rear of the line of intrenchments, and there was 
every indication of hot work ahead. The enemy's mortar shells 
continued to drop in the hnes daily which was a source of constant 
harassment to the troops held in the close confines of the intrench- 
ments. 




The Burnside Mine. 195 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

The Burnside Mine. 

PREPARATIONS were made on the night of the 29th to 
spring the mine run under the Confederate fort facing Fort 
Morton which was to be fohowed by an assault upon the 
enemy's Hnes the next morning. The command was called out at 
3 o'clock. Every man took his post, awaiting the explosion which 
was fixed to come off at 3.30 o'clock. Back of the Union hnes 
could be seen, in the gray dawn, thousands of troops massed for 
the attack. The substance of the account of this affair, which 
occurred in the immediate front of Durell's Battery, is largely 
drawn from Harpet ' s Pictorial History of the Rebcllio)i. 

At this point the intrenchments of the Ninth Corps approached 
within 140 yards of the Confederate works. Just in rear of the 
advanced position, held bythe 5istand48thPennsylvaniaregiments, 
was a deep hollow, made forty feet deeper by a cut of the Nor- 
folk and Petersburg Railroad, where work could be carried on un- 
seen by the enemy. The 48th Pennsylvania was made up of 
Schuylkill miners. Some of the soldiers suggested that a mine 
should be dug right under this Confederate fort, perched upon the 
brow overhanging the hollow. The talk passed from grade to 
grade, until it reached Colonel Henry Pleasants, the commander 
of the regiment, and was finally communicated to General Burn- 
side, who at once gave permission for the commencement of the 
work. Meade had so little confidence in its success that only the 
slightest facilities were afforded for its execution. Nothing better 
than empty cracker boxes were furnished to carry out the earth. 
In spite of all obstacles, Pleasants pushed on the work. 

It was begun on the 25th of June and was finished on the 23rd 
of July. It consisted of a main shaft four or five feet in diameter, 
525 feet long, terminating in lateral branches forty feet in either 
direction. The mine was charged with 8,000 pounds of powder. 
The Ninth Corps was to dash through the break and seize a crest 
a few hundred yards in the rear, known as Cemetery Hill which 
commanded Petersburg. The fuse was hghted at the appointed 
time, but an hour passed and no explosion followed. Two brave 



196 Durell's Battery. 

men, Lieutenant Douty and Sergeant Rees, volunteered to creep 
into the mine and ascertain the cause. They found that the fuse 
had parted within fifty feet of the magazine. They hghted it and 
had just emerged from the mine when the explosion took place. 
A solid mass of earth, mingled with timbers, and everything and 
person within the fort rose 200 feet in the air and fell sullenly 
back, leaving, where the fort had stood, a crater 200 feet long, sixty 
feet wide and thirty feet deep, and raised a cloud of dust that was 
some moments in settling. 

At the instant the guns from all the batteries opened fire. 
The orchard in front of Fort Morton was quickly cut down by two 
colored soldiers with axes to each tree, to clear the range for the 
3 2 -pounders and Durell's guns, which now joined in the bombard- 
ment of the Confederate lines. The enemy were taken completely 
by surprise and replied but feebly, and this feeble fire was soon al- 
most silenced. After about fifteen minutes the fire upon the crater 
and its vicinity was withdrawn, when Ledhe's men dashed over 
the lip of the crater and plunged wildly into its depths. Between 
them and the commanding crest on Cemetery Hill there was noth- 
ing but the rough, steep sides of the crater. A determined rush 
would have crowned the crest with the loss of hardly a man. 

The enemy abandoned their lines for a space on each side of 
the chasm. Into these the troops spread themselves and sought 
shelter. Brigade after brigade poured in until the crater was 
crowded with a disorganized mass. A single regiment advanced 
a few hundred yards toward the crest, but, seeing no others follow- 
ing them, fell back into the shelter of the crater and abandoned 
the Confederate lines. So an hour passed in confusion and nothing 
done. In the meanwhile the enemy, recovering from his first 
astonishment, began to plant batteries so as to sweep the approaches 
to the crater. 

It was an hour and a quarter after the explosion when Ferrero's 
colored division dashed forward gallantly toward the crater, although 
the approach was swept by a heavy cross-fire right and left. Some 
of them ])ressed through the troops near the crater, partially formed, 
and charged toward the crest, capturing two or three hundred 
prisoners. But they were met by a counter-charge and broke and 
fled in utter confusion, sweeping back in their flight many of the 
white troops. It was clear that all chance of success was past, so 
Burnside was directed to abandon the crater and withdraw to his 
intrenchments. 



The Burnside Mine. 197 

But to withdraw now was a work of difificulty and danger. 
The space over which the troops must retire was now swept by a 
furious fire of musketry and artillery. The men within the crater 
were sheltered by the dechvity from a direct fire ; but the Confed- 
erates had planted mortars from which shells were rained down 
among the densely packed masses. To remain was as perilous as 
to retreatj more perilous than it would have been to advance. The 
troops swarmed out in squads, losing fearfully on the way. Some, 
running a few yards, dropped themselves to the ground, taking ad- 
vantage of every hillock and furrow that the surface afforded ; then 
rolUng their bodies over the ground to another place of shelter, or 
making another short run, in this way succeeded in running the 
fearful gauntlet. General Hartranft was among the number who 
got safely back to the Union lines by adopting these tactics. 

The Confederates charged fiercely down to the edge of the 
crater and were repulsed ; a second charge was made ; the whole 
mass broke and fled. It was now past noon. For eight hours the 
men had been crowded, without water, under a fierce July sun, 
within that narrow slaughter-pen. This disastrous attempt cost 
4,000 men, of whom 1,900 were prisoners, who surrendered rather 
than run the fierce guantlet of fire. With the exception of a single 
brigade of Ord's Corps, none of the 50,000 men who had been pre- 
pared for this assault, save Burnside' s Corps, were put into action. 
Burnside had no authority to call upon Warren or Ord, and Meade 
delayed until too late to order them into action. 

The affair of the mine was made the subject of searching in- 
vestigation by a court of inquiry and by the Congressional Com- 
mittee. The court found that this was owing to the halting of the 
troops in the crater instead of going forward to the crest when 
there was no fire of consequence from the enemy ; and to the 
want of a competent common head at the scene of the assault to 
direct affairs as occurrences should demand. They mildly censured 
Burnside, and sharply censured Ledlie and Ferrero for absolute 
inefficiency, if not cowardice, in keeping themselves habitually in a 
bomb-proof instead of being present at the assault. 

The Congressional Committee attributed the failure primarily 
to the refusal of Meade, sanctioned by Grant, to permit the col- 
ored division to lead the assault, and generally to the fact that 
" the plans and suggestions of the general who had devoted his 
attention for so long a time to the subject, who had carried out to 
a successful completion the project of mining the enemy's works, 



igS Durell's Battery. 

and who had carefully selected and drilled his troops for the pur- 
pose of securing whatever advantages might be attainable from the 
explosion of the mine, should have been so entirely disregarded 
by a general who had evinced no faith in the successful prosecu- 
tion of that work, had aided it by no countenance or open appro- 
val, and had assumed the entire direction and control only when 
it was completed, and the time had come for reaping any advant- 
ages that might be derived from it." 

General Grant, in his testimony, attributes the disaster to the 
utter inefficiency of the division commanders, and especially to 
the one who was to lead the advance of the attacking columns. 
"There was a full half hour when there was no fire against our 
men, and they could have marched past the enemy's intrench- 
ment just as they could in the open country; but that opportunity 
was lost in consequence of the division commanders not going 
with their men, but allowing them to go into the enemy's intrench- 
ments and spread themselves there without going on farther, thus 
giving the enemy time to collect and organize against them. If 
they had marched through to the crest of that ridge they would 
have taken everything in the rear. I do not think there would 
have been any opposition at all to our troops had that been done." 
Although Grant afterward believed that if Burnside had been 
allowed to put his colored division in the advance, "it would have 
been a success," he still thought his own refusal and that of Meade 
to permit this was at the time right and proper. "We had," 
he says, "but one division of colored troops in the whole army 
about Petersburg at that time, and I do not think it would have 
been proper to put them in front, for nothing but success 
would have justified it. The cause of the disaster was simply the 
leaving the passage of orders from one to another down to an inef- 
ficient man. I blame his seniors also, for not seeing that he did 
his duty, all the way up to myself " He thought this commander 
the poorest of all ; he knew that he had been chosen simply by 
lot, yet he adds, "I did nothing in regard to it." 

Although the lieutenant-general and the second in command 
were all the while close at hand, neither gave any practical 
orders until the crisis was past. It is inexplicable that, out of 
50,000 men who stood drawn up in battle order for this very pur- 
pose, not a third were ordered to advance for the hours during 
which the operation continued. In Warren's front the fire of the 
enemy was silenced, and yet he was never i)ermitted to move a 



The Burnside Mine. 



99 



man from his lines. "Thus," says Grant, " terminated in disaster 
what promised to be the most successful assault of the campaign." 
It cost 4000 men to the assailants, while the entire loss to the Con- 
federates, including the regiment blown up in the fort, and the 
prisoners captured by the colored division, were hardly a ipiarter 
as many. 

The battery expended eighty-six rounds of ammunition during 
the day. Wellington F. Clouser, from Berks County, was slightly 
wounded on the chin by a musket ball. A heavy lire of musketry, 
artillery and mortars was kept up throughout the night, which 
ceased in the morning when a llag of truce approached the 
enemy's line, seeking permission to carry in the Union wounded. 
The Confederates met the truce half way, and a short consultation 
was held, after which the parties returned to their respective lines " 
to await an answer from higher Confederate authority. 

While the truce was on the soldiers of both sides mounted 
their works, and indulged in a free and unmolested survey of their 
surroundings, a privilege they had not enjoyed since their arrival 
on that ground. But this freedom was of short duration, for as 
soon as the truce bearers had returned within the line, the com- 
mand to cover was given, and the skirmi.sh fire resumed. The 
Union truce went out several times during the day, but each time 
fault was found with the form of the papers submitted ; so the 
wounded lying between the lines had to l)e left another long niglit 
in their suffering with unattended wounds and exposure to the 
constant fire of the skirmishers, (^uite a number were lying under 
the protection of the bank of the crater. 

The next morning, August ist, the truce again went out, and 
was soon followed by a detail of rhen with stretchers, picks and 
shovels. All was quiet along the lines. The Confederates again 
showed themselves on the top of their works, and were seen riding 
across the open ground in rear of their lines. The number of 
wounded carried in was small in comparison with the number of 
ambulances that were in waiting to receive them in the rear of Fort 
Morton — only twelve or fifteen. 'I'he dead— two hundred or 
more — were buried between the lines. A large number of the 
dead and wounded had fallen into the hands of the enemy. The 
weather was excessively hot, which added much to the suffering of 
the wounded, and hastened the end of many who had lain for two 
days between the lines with no treatment for their wounds and 
without shade or water. 



200 Durell's Battery. 

Firing on the skirmish hne was resumed from both sides as 
soon as the work of carrying in the wounded and the burial of the 
dead was completed. The weather continued hot and troops 
suffered much from the close confinement in the trenches. 'l"he 
truce was, therefore, a great relief to them, enabling them to enjoy 
the open breeze and a pleasant sense of freedom. But now they 
were obliged to return to the trenches from which no exposure of 
person could be made without drawing a shot from the enemy. 

This was, however, not the case along the entire line of 
investment. The Fifth Corps line joined that of the Ninth Corps 
a short distance to the left of Fort Morton. There the pickets 
were on friendly terms during the daytime, and had been so for 
some time. The Confederates on that part of the line could be 
seen from Fort Morton, mounted on their works, enjoying a free- 
dom which was the envy of the Ninth Corps men, and which 
was, no doubt, equally so to their immediate opponents. But the 
lines occupied by the Ninth Corps were in such close proximity both 
to Petersburg and to the enemy's intrenchments. that it was deemed 
prudent to keep up a continuous fire, day and night, as a precau- 
tionary measure against surprise. 



Siege of Petersburg. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 
Siege of Petersburg, 

A FORCE of the engineer corps was immediately set to work 
at staking off ground for another fort to adjoin Fort Mor- 
ton, upon which the colored troops labored assiduously 
and speedily completed it. The firing along the lines for a few 
days following the mine affair fell off to a lull during the day time, 
with only an occasional interruption by a cannon or mortar shell, 
fired at a point where one side or the other saw more activity than 
they hked. At dusk, however, the infantry commenced a rattle of 
musketry, which was kept up until daylight. 

On the night of August 3rd, the left section of the battery was 
sent on detached service farther to the front, where its guns were 
posted in a roughly built redoubt on the infantry line of intrench- 
ments, constructed of heavy timbers with a bank of earth piled 
against them. It was located about one hundred yards in front of 
Fort Morton, on lower ground, which permitted the guns of that 
fort to fire over the heads of the accupants of the redoubt. That 
particular spot had been occupied by a mansion owned by a man 
by the name of Taylor, but the building had all been razed to the 
ground and a portion of their timbers used in the construction of 
the fortifications. The redoubt, which was named Taylor Battery, 
commanded a full range of a ravine in rear of the Union skirmish 
hne, which its guns were to sweep with canister in case of an assault 
by the enemy. Several large trees which had formerly surrounded 
the mansion, still stood, a couple of them within the inclosure of 
the redoubt occupied by the detached section. Four heavy mor- 
tars were also planted near by. The position was very much 
exposed to the fire of the enemy ; indeed there was none more so 
along the whole hne. When the mortars were in action, the air 
became heavily charged with fragments of shell, and the earth torn 
up by the bursting projectiles. Some of these explosives blew out 
holes in the ground large enough to bury two horses. The day 
after the section occupied Taylor Battery, the men set to work and 
built a magazine for the protection of the ammunition, which was 
dangerously exposed to the enemy's shells. 



202 Durell's Battery. 

A short time before dusk on the evening of the 5 th, some 
alarm was created by an attempt made by the Confederates to blow 
up a fort on the line of the Eighteenth Corps, a short distance to the 
right of Taylor Battery. A lively cannonade was opened on both 
sides and mortar shells dropped upon every hand. The Union 
soldiers by some chance having discovered that the enemy was 
mining at that point, sunk a shaft in front of the fort, and with the 
aid of a drum placed therein, heard the sound of the picks at 
work. Another fort was built in the rear of the one being under- 
mined, the guns removed to it, and wooden guns placed in the 
one abandoned. The scheme of the enemy proved a failure, how- 
ever, as the shaft which had been sunk, made a vent and destroyed 
the effect of the explosion, which tore out only a small portion of the 
breast of the fort. It was followed by an assault from the enemy's 
infantry, but the Union troops being in readiness to meet it, they 
were driven back to their lines with considerable loss. Quite a 
heavy battle raged for about an hour. 

While the Union lines were being strengthened by the build- 
ing of another fort in close proximity to Fort Morton, the Confed- 
erates were engaged in the construction of a large fort on the crest 
of Cemetery Hill in rear of the crater. The guns in Taylor Bat- 
tery occasionally opened upon this new work with percussion shell, 
some of which struck and tore great holes in their fortifications. 
The guns of Fort Morton frequently hurled their projectiles over 
the heads of the occupants of Taylor Battery into the enemy's 
lines. On the 8th, one of Durell's guns, and one gun of the Third 
Vermont Battery, which was also posted in Fort Morton, engaged 
in quite a i)rolonged target practice on some houses located on the 
crest of the hill, which had afforded protection to the enemy's 
sharpshooters. Durell's gun aimed at a large frame house, but 
while the building was struck several times it could not be set afire. 

The weather was very hot and caused much suffering among 
the troops, some of which had now been for nearly two months con- 
fined in the trenches. They were annoyed also by flies in the day 
time and by mosciuitoes at night, to say nothing of the incessant 
ordeal of mortar shells and sharpshooter's bullets to which they 
were subjected. A ration of whiskey was served to the men of the 
battery on the evening of the loth. Whether it was intended to 
kill malaria germs or infuse courage in the timid was not learned. 
But it did neither, for the simple reason that the treatment was not 
continued long enough to produce any positive results. The one 
ration was the Alpha and Omego in the course of the treatment. 



- Siege of Petersburg. 203 

As Taylor Battery seemed to be a special object for the enemy's 
mortar fire, its occupants concluded to build a bomb-proof for their 
protection. No sooner had it been completed than the mortars 
opened with a heavy shower of shells which fell in and around the 
fortification. The second shell that dropped in the vicinity struck 
the bank of earth which covered the top of the bomb-proof and ex- 
ploded, throwing a large quantity of dirt to the farthest hmit of the 
fortification, wrecking the bomb-proof The projectile did not, 
however, penetrate the timbers, but the concussion displaced them. 
Corporal Robert Conard, from Bucks County, gunner of the third 
piece, received a slight wound during this affray. After this occur- 
rence the consuming desire for a bomb-proof was allayed, the men 
prefering to seek refuge by hugging the breastworks during a shower 
of mortar shells. 

A heavy rain set in on the 14th, which continued for several 
days and broke the long drought. The trenches were flooded and 
at some points the breastworks were washed away. At others they 
caved in. About a hundred yards of the infantry line near Taylor 
Battery caved, almost burying some of the men. Their muskets 
and ammunition were rendered unserviceable by water and mud, 
and for a time, none but the sharpshooters, who used metallic car- 
tridges, were able to reply to the enemy's infantry. But the Con- 
federates must have suffered equally as much, as their works were 
so situated as to receive all the water from Cemetery Hill. When 
it was learned that a portion of the line had caved in, every man 
was commanded to be in readiness to receive an assault from the 
enemy. They were probably adopting the same precautionary 
measures. The men in Taylor Battery were all swamped out of 
their quarters and drenched by the rain. The magazine began to 
fill with water, so that the ammunition had to be taken out and 
placed under a tarpaulin. The works were repaired during the 
following night, after which they were probably stronger than they 
had been before the storm. 

The members of the battery who had not re-enlisttd were 
now counting the days that yet remained of their term of service, 
which would expire on September 24th, and indulging in glowing 
speculations on the prospect of soon returning to their homes to 
the enjoyment of the comforts and good things of civil life. Lieu- 
tenants Silvis and Leoser announced their intention of returning 
home at the same time, and were quite as eager for the day to 
hasten as the men were. Lieutenant Leoser, however, was obliged 
to leave on the 17th, on sick leave. 



204 Durell's Battery. 

Nothing unusual occurred after the washout until midnight of 
the 1 8th, when all hands were aroused from sleep by the thunder 
of the Confederate artillery, which opened along the entire front 
of Petersburg, with a terrific fire of their heavy guns and mortars. 
It was at first supposed that this shower of projectiles would be 
followed by an assault by his infantry, and every man was ordered 
to his post to meet it. The Union artillery made but a feeble 
reply, Taylor Battery responding with a few shots. This point 
was exposed to a raking fire of the enemy's Whitworth guns on 
the right, a number of the shells and shrapnel from which ex- 
ploded immediately over the battery, and the solid shot cut large 
limbs from the trees on the line of the fortification, which fell with 
a crash, adding another source of terror and danger to the men in 
the works. It was thought that a solid shot from those terrible 
Whitworth guns would easily go through the earth and timbers of 
the fortification. But none of them struck the works, and not a 
man of the left section was scratched. The right section, back in 
Fort Morton, was not so fortunate. There WiUiam Ganster, from 
Berks County, received a wound in the ankle by a shrapnel ball, 
lacerating it so badly that amputation below the knee was necessary. 
George F. Ludwig, from Berks County, was also slightly wounded 
in the back by a fragment of shell. The bombardment was kept 
up for two hours. 

At the same hour on the following night the enemy again 
began to bombard with increased fury. The guns in the new fort 
on Cemetery Hill, in the immediate front of Taylor Battery, also 
opened. The most trying fire on this occasion came from one of 
their heavy guns to the left, which commanded a sweeping range of 
Taylor Battery. Solid shot crashed through the large trees and shells 
exploded thick and fast. It was the hottest fire the battery had as 
yet endured ; a veritable hell on earth. Not a shot was sent in 
reply either from Taylor Battery or Fort Morton, and the other 
forts along the Union line were comparatively silent. So the men 
had nothing to do but to he close to the breast works, which they 
hugged tightly as the only place of safety available, and would 
have crept into them if they could. The bombardment continued 
until near daybreak. 

While the shots were yet flying thick and fast, orders were 
received to pack up and be in readiness to be relieved. These 
orders were anticipated from the fact that Ninth Corps troops had 
for several nights past been relieved by troops of the Eighteentli 



Siege of Petersburg. 205 

Corps, which were withdrawn to take part in a movement with 
Warren's Fifth Corps for the capture of the Weldon Railroad, which 
had commenced on the i8th, and which accounted for the fierce 
bombardment from the enemy during the past two nights. The 
left section was reheved by a section of the ist Pennsylvania Artil- 
lery, and the right section, stationed in Fort Morton, was relieved 
by adding two more 3 2 -pound guns to the number of that caHbre 
already occupying the fort. The centre section was not relieved 
until the 21st. The drivers went up to the front with their horses 
at the close of the bombardment, when the pieces were drawn 
out of the fortifications which they had occupied for twenty-five 
days and taken to the caisson camp. 

After breakfast the battery camp was moved about a mile, and 
estabhshed in close proximity to corps headquarters. Rain fell 
nearly all day long, and the men got wet before the quarters were 
completed. The camp was a very pleasant one, some of the 
tents being comfortably provided with bunks and other desirable 
furnishings. In the night the Confederates again opened a bom- 
bardment at the usual time. Two of their solid shots flew to the 
rear close to the battery camp. 




2o6 Durell's Battery. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Weldon Railroad and Ream's Station. 

a FUNERAL Warren had moved against the Weldon Railroad 
on the 1 8th and seized it at a point four miles below Peters- 
burg. The next day Lee suddenly made an attack upon 
Warren with a powerful force. A wide space between the latter 
and Burnside had by some mischance been left uncovered. Into 
this gap Lee thrust Mahone's Division, striking Warren's right and 
gaining its rear, throwing the whole line into confusion. A small 
force from the Ninth Corps came upon the scene opportunely, 
when Warren struck back and drove his assailants in confusion 
within their lines. 

On the 2oth all was quiet, but the time was wisely passed in 
strengthening the position, which, it could not be doubted, the 
enemy would attempt to regain. On the morning of the 21st, 
having massed thirty guns, he opened a fierce fire, under cover of 
which a heavy infantry force advanced to the attack. They 
encountered a fire so severe that they broke and fled in confusion, 
leaving behind hundreds of prisoners. So the Weldon Railroad 
was won, at heavy cost, after three days' struggle. The battery 
marched at noon for the scene of this battle, over very bad roads 
through woods, in which its gun carriages were several times stuck, 
and reached Ninth Corps headquarters at dark. 

The next morning it was called up early and ordered to be in 
readiness to move. It stood under these orders until 4 o'clock in 
the afternoon, when the horses were unhitched. The 23rd was a 
very warm day. The Second Corps marched by on quick time to 
the loft, on the return from the feint movement it had made 
against Deep Bottom. On the following afternoon the battery- 
men were called into line to sign the pay-roll, and in the evening 
received four months' pay — the first money obtained on the new 
enlistment. 

On the morning of the 25th the battery marched back to the 
camp it had left on the 21st and fixed up comfortable (quarters. 
But the pieces were called out in the afternoon and hurried off, 
without their caissons, to reinforce Hancock, who was then engaged 



Weldon Railroad and Ream's Station. 207 

in a terrible fight with Hill at Ream's Station, in which he came 
nearly being overpowered by superior numbers. The men were 
ordered to leave tents and knapsacks behind, and take nothing 
with them but a blanket. The battery was assigned to the Third 
Division of the Ninth Corps, which, with a division of the Fifth 
Corps, drawn from the intrenchments, was pushed rapidly down 
the Jerusalem plank road to the aid of Hancock. 

The din of battle, which grew more distinct as the column 
pressed on, indicated that a hard fight was in progress. But the 
reinforcements did not reach the field in time to render material 
assistance. Hancock was overwhelmed and driven back, losing 
several batteries of artillery. He, however, formed his shattered 
columns on a new hne to receive another assault. Night put an 
end to the contest, and Hancock in the darkness withdrew. Hill, 
not suspecting how small was the force opposed to him, also with- 
drew at the same time. 

Durell's Battery went into position with the division near the 
plank road to protect Hancock's right, the right section being in 
advance. At 10 o'clock the Second Corps began to pass on the 
way back towards Petersburg, and at 2 o'clock in the morning the 
battery limbered up and withdrew, reaching the point where the 
camp had been located at daylight, but it was gone. It had been 
moved back to the same place it had occupied when the battery 
was reheved from the intrenchments, and here the pieces soon after- 
ward joined it. 

A system of daily drills was now begun under the supervision 
of Lieutenant Rhoads, who claimed that the battery was not up to 
the proper degree of proficiency in this respect. Inspections were 
also frequent, and a strict compliance with the rules regarding 
cleanliness and good condition of the camp, accoutrements, etc., 
was enforced. 

On the 30th, the battery again marched out to the left wing 
of the lines investing Petersburg, and encamped near corps head- 
(juarters. The colored division had been taken away from the 
Ninth Corps soon after the mine affair, and had been distributed 
throughout the army to build earthworks, etc. Later, these troops 
were attached to the 25th Corps The batteries of each army 
corps were now formed into an artillery brigade, commanded by an 
officer of the regular army, who assigned batteries to duty with 
brigades and divisions of the corps upon starting on a movement, 
or when about to go into action. 



2o8 Durell's Battery. 

On the afternoon of September ist, the right and centre sec- 
tions of Durell's Battery placed their guns in position for action 
about half a mile from camp, to support the cavalry pickets on the 
extreme left. The enemy's cavalry were pretty active and had 
driven in the Union cavalry pickets on the previous evening. All 
hinds were called up at 3 o'clock on the following morning and 
ordered to be in readiness to move. This order was kept in force 
until 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when the left section was taken 
out and posted beside the right. The time was improved in forti- 
fying, a detail of colored troops assisting in the work. All the 
troops that could be spared from the Petersburg front were now 
building intrenchments and forts. Nearly the entire force of the 
battery was set to work upon the construction of a fort. In a few 
days a line of intrenchments was constructed around the rear from 
the extreme left to the James River, for the protection of the mili- 
tary railroad which was in course of building around the rear of 
the Union line. 

On the 8th, the pieces were taken back to the caisson camp. 
The guns were cleaned and new clothing issued to the men. On 
the 15th, the right and left sections were moved to the front, the 
centre section remaining in camp. The right section was posted 
in a fortification designated as Battery No. i, and the left section 
in a similar structure about a quarter of a mile further along the 
line, knovn as Battery No. 2. The latter was a very commodious 
and complete piece of military architecture, containing a spring of 
water within its limits, and ample room to pitch the tents of the 
garrison. The woods had been cut away from the front of the 
lines for a distance of about 500 yards, and two lines of abatis 
were constructed. The picket line was established a mile in front. 
It was attacked the next morning after the two sections had posted 
their guns in these forts, and the pickets driven back a short dis- 
tance, but the enemy did not approach within sight of the artillery. 
A detail of men from the infantry was sent to the forts to make 
barbette platforms for the pieces. 

Nine recruits from Pittsburg reached the l)attery on the i6th. 
This was the first of several scpiads of recruits to arrive as rein- 
forcements of the ranks soon to be depleted by the expiration of 
the term of service of the men who had not veteranized. 'I'he 
military railroad was now in operation from City Point to the VVel- 
don Railroad. It was a novelty in railroad construction. There 
was no grading of any account ; the ties were laid on the surface 



Weldon Railroad and Ream's Station. 209 

of the ground without ballast ; the tracks ran up and down over hill 
and dale. Heavy trains of ammunition and supplies passed over 
the road, and when at the top of a grade or hill, a full head of 
steam was put on, to give the train sufficient momentum to carry 
it up the next grade. If it did not succeed, the train was backed 
down across the hollow and a fresh start was taken. Sometimes, 
with the aid of troops pushing, it was carried over the ascent. 
This railroad rendered very valuable service to the army. If a 
small body of troops was needed at any part of the investing line, 
the men were put on the cars, and carried in a short time to the 
point where they were wanted. It also saved the poor mules from 
dragging heavy loads through mud from City Point, later in the 
season when the roads became bad. 

On the afternoon of the 20th, as the men were lolling in and 
about their quarters, their attention was suddenly attracted by the 
sound of cheering which came from a point a short distance down 
the line. Every one turned out to learn the cause of the enthu- 
siasm, many supposing (ieneral Orant or some other officer high in 
command to be passing by. Presently two mounted officers were 
seen to be reading to a crowd of soldiers who surrounded them. 
As soon as the officers had finished, the soldiers again broke out in 
cheers followed by a vigorous "tiger." The officers then put 
spurs to their steeds and flew to the next regiment, where the same 
scene was enacted. The men of the battery fell into line to 
receive them. They stopped and read the official announce- 
ment of Sheridan's victory over Early, who had been sent "whirl- 
ing through Winchester. ' ' It was glorious news for the army invest- 
ing Petersburg and Richmond, and had a stimulating effect on the 
courage of the men, who had worked and fought in the trenches 
for months with apparently little results. By order of General 
Grant, all the cannon bearing on Petersburg indulged in a shotted 
salute on the following morning, in celebration of the victory. 
They were fired with a will and caused a heavy cannonade for 
about an hour. 



Durell's Battery. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 
Muster Out ok Three Years' Men. 

THE old members of the battery who had not re-enhsted, 
were ordered, on September 23rd, to get in readiness for 
their departure, and were mustered out of their three years' 
term of service at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. They left their vete- 
ran comrades at the front and marched back to the caisson camp, 
a l)and of happy fellows, expecting to start for home on the mili- 
tary railroad in the evening ; but, for some reason, they were de- 
tained until the next morning. 

Captain Durell, who had a few days previous returned to his 
command from sick leave, also left the battery at this time. The 
men who remained with the battery were called into line, and the 
esteemed and honored old captain addressed them in parting words 
of affection and advice. He had intended to remain with the com- 
mand, and had made that promise to the men who had re-enlisted, 
but his health had become such that he could remain no longer in 
the service. He was very sorry to leave them, he said. The bat- 
tery enjoyed a good reputation everywhere, and he expressed the 
hope that its good name would be sustained in the performance of 
every future duty which it would be called upon to perform. H 
the new men would follow the teaching and example of the vete- 
rans of the battery, its honor would be maintained. 

At the conclusion of his address the captain passed down the 
line, bidding each man farewell with a fervent grasp of the hand ; 
then, with a "God bless and preserve you all," he left the battery 
which he had commanded with such great credit through three years 
of eventful, active service. The veterans sincerely regretted the 
loss of their chief who had hitherto led them to battle, and deeply 
sympathized with him on account of the circumstances which com- 
pelled him to leave the service. He was like a father to the men 
of his command — always watchful of their interests and welfare. 
He freciuently called them his " boys," and regarded them with an 
affection almost paternal. 

The following is the roll of the detachment of the battery mus- 
tered out of service near the Weldon Railroad, Va. , September 



Muster Out of Three Years' Men. 211 

23rd, 1864, by J. W. French, 2nd Lieutenant U. S. Infantry, Act- 
ing Commissioner of Muster, Second Division, Ninth Army Corps : 
Quarter- Master Sergeant, Azariah L. Ratz, Berks County. 
Sergeants — B. Frank Bender, Honeybrooke, Pa. 

Corporals. 
Amos Bechtel, Berks County. 
Mahlon B. Buckman, Bucks County. 
I. Carey Carver, Buckingham, Bucks County. 
George R. Carver, Buckingham, Bucks County. 
Robert Conard, Buckingham, Bucks County. 
OHver D. Giiifins, Lehigh County. 
Bertolet Y. Yoder, Berks County. 
Artificer — John R. Rice, Doylestown, Pa. 
Artificer — Charles H. MacCorkle, Newportville, Bucks County. 

Privates. 
Benjamin Albright, Hilltown, Bucks County. 
Daniel D. Althouse, Berks County. 
Amos Antrim, Oley, Berks County. 
Stephen B. Bechert, Exeter, Berks County. 
Valentine G. Bissey, Doylestown, Pa. 
Thomas L. Breece, Tyburn, Bucks County. 

WilUam K. Cleaver, Berks County. 

George Douglass, Hulmeville, Bucks County. 

Cyrus Davidheiser, Oley, Berks County. 

WiUiam Dunlap, Berks County. 

Gottheb Fageley, Hilltown, Bucks County. 

Jesse D. Foulke, Quakertown, Pa. 

Jacob Franks, Bucks County. 

Michael Frey, Adams County, Pa. 

Richard S. Garber, Oley, Berks County. 

Isaac R. Good, Alsace, Berks County. 

Hiram G. Cirove, Amity, Berks County. 

Henry Hargrave, Doylestown. 

Henry B. Hearing, Hilltown, Bucks County. 

Monroe Jenkins, Hilltown, Bucks County. 

Samuel Johnston, Reading. 

Amos Knabb, Reading. 

Oliver C. Leidy, Bucks County. 

Joseph Lear, Solebury, Bucks County. 

Ezra McKinstry, Plumstead, Bucks County. 

Daniel W. Noll, Alsace, Berks County. 



212 Durell's Battery, 

Joseph H. Ney, Honeybrooke, Pa. 

James S. Rich, Buckingham, Bucks County. 

Henry M. Seagrist, Bucks County. 

Henry ScUchter, Berks County. 

Patrick Scanlon, Doylestown. 

Emanuel Wolfe, Doylestown. 

Edward H. White, Solebury, Bucks County. 

William J. ^^'ealthy, Philadelphia. 

The roll also contained the following who were absent : 

Sergeant, John O. Burden, Pottstown, Pa., on detached ser- 
vice by orders from headquarters, Department of Ohio, since Oc- 
tober 3rd, 1863. 

William P. Andrews, Doylestown, sick in hospital at Washing- 
ton, D. C. , since April 27th, 1864. 

James Bissey, Buckingham, Bucks County, sick in hospital at 
Upton's Hill, Va. , since March 9th, 1862. 

Valentine Bloomer, Bucks County, sick in hospital at Alexan- 
dria, Va., since May 3rd, 1864. 

Henry L. Buck, Amity, Berks County, sick in hospital at 
Camp Dennison, Ohio, since August 23rd, 1863. 

Henry Clymer, Line Lexington, Bucks County, sick in hos- 
l)ital at Covington, Ky. , since November 9th, 1863. 

Robert VV. Creighton, Philadelphia, sick in hospital at 
Upton's Hill, Va. , since March 19th, 1862. 

Urias H. Engel, Amity, Berks County, sick in hospital at 
Ui)ton's Hill, Va. , since April 2nd, 1862. 

Jacob S. Foster, Bucks County, sick in hospital at Baltimore, 
Md. , since March 26th, 1864. 

Isaac S. Knowles, Bucks County, sick in hospital at Alexan- 
dria, Va. , since April 29th, 1864. 

Richard S. Lewis, Reading, sick in hospital at Camp Denni- 
son, Ohio, since August 23rd, 1863. 

Henry Lenhart, Bucks County, sick in hospital at Alexandria, 
Va. , since May 3rd, 1864. 

Henry Miller, Berks County, sick in hospital at Baltimore, 
Md., since March 26th, 1864. 

Isaiah J. Sellers, Hilltown, Bucks County, wounded at Antie- 
tam, in hospital since September 17th, 1862. 

Martin H. Smith, Doylestown, sick in hospital at Camp Den- 
nison, Ohio, since August 23rd, 1863. 



Muster Out of Three Years' Men. 213 

Captain George W. Durell was mustered out some time after- 
ward at Harrisbnrg, where he experienced some trouble in settling 
his account with the government, and Lieutenant George W. 
Silvis, who remained a few days longer with the battery, was also 
mustered out afterward. Lieutenant Christopher Leoser, whose 
term would not have expired until May 12, 1865, resigned on 
account of physical disability per Special Order, Headquarters 
Army of the Potomac, No. 276, on October 12, 1864. He was 
at this time at home on sick leave. 

After the departure of Captain Durell, Lieutenant Rhoads 
left the caisson camp, of which he had been in command, for the 
front, and with a speech and petition for signatures, endeavored to 
secure the aid of the company to obtain the captaincy. A petition 
was at the same time circulated in the interest of Lieutenant 
Henry Sailor for first place, which received a handsome majority of 
the names of the company, but the influence of Captain Durell 
was exerted upon Governor Curtin in behalf of Lieutenant Rhoads, 
and he received his commission as captain a few days after the 
departure of Durell. The men accepted the appointment philo- 
sophically and as good soldiers are wont to do, and very little friction 
in the discipline and harmony of the command resulted. 

The battery was now short of men, but the occasional arrival 
of small squads of recruits swelled the ranks to the recpiired num- 
ber in a few weeks. They came from different points in Pennsyl- 
vania, a few of them being substitutes and drafted men. The 
appointments of the non-commissioned officers under the reorga- 
nization were announced after the Sunday morning inspection on 
the 25th, and were as follows : 

Orderly Sergeant — Llarrison G. Bouse, Reading, no change. 

Quartermaster Sergeant — James L. Mast, from fourth duty 
sergeant, Reading. 

Duty Ser(".eants. 

First. Adley B. Lawrence, from fifth sergeant, Chester 
County. 

Second. Samuel K. Whitner, not promoted. Berks County. 
Third. Charles A. Cuffel, from ninth corporal, Doylestown. 
Fourth. John L. Lewis, from private, Montgomery County. 
Fifth. Stuart McAleese, from private, Bucks County. 
Sixth. Abraham D. Blondin, not promoted, Bucks County. 



214 Durell's Battery. 

Corporals. 

First. Jacob Bauer, from private, Chester County. 

Second. Henry Dease, from private, Reading. 

Third. Aaron Martin, from private, Reading. 

Fourth. George Hart, not promoted, Reading. 

Fifth. John B. Jones, from private, New York State. 

Sixth. John W. Morris, from private, Reading. 

Seventh. Andrew J. Schweimler, not promoted, Reading. 

F^ighth. Jacob I-. Beam, not promoted, Chester County. 

Ninth. Edward Barker, from private. New York State. 

Tenth. Henry Graul, not promoted, Reading. 

Eleventh. Ehas K. Cooper, from private, Bucks County. 

Twelfth. William H. Quaintance, from private, Chester 
County. 

The promotions to commissioned officers could not be made 
until Lieutenants Silvis and I.eoser were mustered out, which oc- 
curred a few weeks later. 

On the 26th the battery received orders to get everything in 
readiness to move at once. The limbers were sent to the forts for 
the pieces, while the horses were being hitched to the caissons and 
the camp equipage packed up. In due time the battery moved 
from camp and marched out on the corduroy road about a mile to 
the Jones House, where it went into park. 

On the morning of the 28th the command was reviewed and 
inspected by Colonel Monroe, chief of artillery of the Ninth Army 
Corps. A short field drill followed, after which it returned to camp 
and found that most welcome guest in waiting — the army paymas- 
ter. He disbursed two months' pay besides two instalments of 
bounty to the veterans. The first instalment of bounty had not 
l)een paid on the previous pay-day, owing to faulty pay-rolls. The 
veterans each received -^132, which imparted a sense of security 
and confidence in their ability to rough it through the coming 
winter. The men liad furnished their quarters which were pro- 
vided with bunks, expecting to remain some time in this camp, but 
their plans were undone at midnight, when orders were received 
to be ready to march early in the morning. 



Peebles' Farm and Poplar Grove Church. 



CHAPTER XXX. 
Peebles' Farm and Poplar Grove Church. 

THE bugle sounded the reveille at 2 o'clock on the morning 
of September 29th. The horses belonging to the four 
pieces that were in position at the front were immediately 
harnessed and sent to their respective detachments, while the 
luggage in camp was packed and the two remaining pieces and all 
of the caissons were gotten in readiness to move. Everything 
being ready at 3.30, the command marched off to the left, passing 
the camp ground that the battery had occupied a few days before. 
At daybreak it pulled into park and awaited further orders, but 
none were received until 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and these were 
to unhitch and unharness. Heavy firing was in progress at the 
front late in the afternoon, and at dusk the cheering news of Orel's 
and Bjrney's victory on the right was received, and that the fight- 
ing at the front had resulted in driving the enemy. 

On the 30th, two divisions of Warren's and two of the Nintli 
Corps, now commanded by General Parke, moved to the left and 
captured some of the enemy's works at Peebles' Farm and held 
them. The battery received orders early in the morning to be 
ready to move, but it was noon before it was ordered forward. 
Advancing about a mile and a half, it again awaited further orders. 
Shortly afterward heavy firing, both of artillery and musketr)-, 
opened but a short distance away in front. Two lines of the 
enemy's breastworks and a large fort with its guns, besides a 
number of prisoners were captured. 

Late in the afternoon the battery was advanced another mile, 
which brought it nearly under the fire of the enemy. Here it 
parked near the captured fort. A few moments afterward the 
enemy charged with such force as to drive back the left of the line 
a short distance. They attempted to carry Romer's Battery, but 
its guns belched forth double charges of canister with such rapidity 
that they were driven back and the lost ground was soon regained. 
Romer's Battery lost fifteen men in killed and wounded during the 
fight. Durell's Battery was placed in position for action after the 



2i6 Durell's Battery. 

assault was begun, but did not get an opportunity to open its guns. 
The battle ended with darkness setting in. 

There being no prospect of any more fighting until morning, 
tile horses were watered and hitched up again. I'he men then 
rolled themselves in their blankets on the ground and went to 
sleep. There was a sprinkle of rain during the night, but not 
enough to wet through the blankets. 

The next morning, October ist, the command was called up 
at daylight. The horses were first given water and feed, after 
which the men prepared breakfast, which consisted of "hard tack" 
and coffee. Scarcely was this humble meal finished, when the 
enemy attacked on the right with considerable vigor. Heavy 
musketry raged for half an hour, when it ceased with the repulse 
of the enemy. There being indications of a flank movement in 
progress by the Confederates, the left section of the battery, under 
command of Sergeant Cuffel, was sent to the point threatened and 
])osted on a knoll where it commanded an extended sweep of the 
open ground to the woods beyond which was occupied by the foe. 

The centre section was posted several hundred yards to the 
right, and the right section as far to the left. A detail of infantry 
was sent to assist the artillerists in strengthening the position by 
the construction of earthworks. Rain poured down in torrents 
during the greater portion of the day. The fierce storm suspended 
the operations, and there was no fighting except by the skirmishers. 
The centre section got a chance to throw a few time shells in the 
afternoon, when the enemy approached from the woods in front of 
its position. One gun fired five and the other four rounds at t/^, 
degrees elevation and one second time, which was firing at short 
range, especially for time-shell. It had the immediate effect of 
sending the enemy back into the woods out of sight. The tents 
were pitched in the evening, and after partaking of a tin-cup of 
black coffee — the mainstay of a soldier — the men turned in to 
sleep. 

On the 2nd, the infantry was formed in front of the intrench- 
mentsand a reconnoisance pushed out through the woods, when it 
was ascertained that the Confederates had retired to another line 
of intrenchments. The line advanced two miles or more before it 
encountered opposition, when a pretty brisk engagement ensued, 
but the enemy was found to be too strongly intrenched to be 
driven out with the force moving against him. The loss in this 
operation was quite heavy, but the line had been extended three 




POPLAR GROVE CHURCH 



Peebles' Farm and Poplar Grove Church. 217 

miles westward and now reached within five miles of the Southside 
Railroad. If this railroad could be seized, it would be equivalent 
to the capture of Petersburg. At dusk the Second Corps came in 
from the left, where it had been driven back by the enemy's cavalry 
which had made a dash the day before on the Union cavalry. Thus 
ended the battle of Poplar Grove Church. Orders were received 
to unhitch and unharness for the night. 

Lieutenant Rhoads received his commission as captain and 
was mustered in on October 3rd, when the title of the battery was 
changed to " Rhoads' Battery." In the morning the left section, 
under command of Lieutenant Sailor, was advanced a mile, where 
the men entrenched their position. A detatchment of infantry 
was sent to help in the work of building a fortification for the guns, 
but the lieutenant concluded that his men could do the work with- 
out aid. There was no fighting during the day except by the 
skirmishers, which extended along the entire front. They fought 
undercover of trees and pits hastily dug with the tin plate, which 
was an invaluable implement in the outfit of the skirmisher in 
scraping up the sandy soil to a sufficient height to protect the 
body in a recumbent position. 

The horses of the battery were harnessed in the evening and 
stood in readiness for action throughout the night. The work of 
intrenching was pushed the next morning and completed at noon. 
Early in the afternoon the Confederates made an assault upon the 
pickets and pressed the line back a short distance. The whole 
line was instantly under arms to meet the assault in force, but the 
enemy was checked and soon afterward driven back. A few bat- 
teries on both sides engaged in the action. A house located be- 
tween the lines, from which the enemy's sharpshooters were oper- 
ating, became the target for some of the Union guns, until it was 
set on fire and consumed. 

The battery was inspected on the morning of the 5th and an 
inventory of its entire outfit taken by Captain Rhoads, who gave 
his command a thorough overhauling, with the purpose of placing 
it in first-class condition. He was a capable organizer, and his 
promotion to first place in the command was well received by a 
majority of the men. 

The battery was called up early on the 8th antl ordered to 
breakfast and pack up ready for action at 7 o'clock. Another 
movement to the left was in progress and there was every prospect 
of a battle. No orders to move were received, liowever, by the 



2i8 Durell's Battery. 

battery, as it was left among the troops that remained to hold that 
portion of the line. The captain announced that he had sent to 
Governor Curtin for commissions for Sergeants Lawrence, Cuffel 
and Mast, as lieutenants. Sergeant Lawrence was at the time in 
command of the centre section and Sergeant Cuffel of the left sec- 
tion. Orderly Sergeant Harrison Ci. Bouse, who was very much 
disgruntled over the recent ]:iromotions, was reduced to a private, 
and sent to corps headquarters to perform duty as orderly. Ser- 
geant Abraham D. Blundin was reduced to his former rank as cor- 
poral, at his own request, the duties of sergeant not being to his 
hkmg. This made t^uite a change in the non-commissioned staff, 
and made the roll of officers as follows : 

Captain — Samuel H. Rhoads, Berks County. 

Senior First Lieutenant — Henry Sailor, Reading. 

Junior First Lieutenant — Adley B. Lawrence, Chester County. 

Senior Second Lieutenant — Charles A. Cuffel, Doylestown. 

Junior Second Lieutenant — James L. Mast, Reading. 

Orderly Sergeant — William S. McNair, from ensign, Doyles- 
town. 

Quartermaster Sergeant — Samuel K. Whitner, no change, 
Berks County. 

Duty Sergeants, 

First. John L. Lewis, from fourth sergeant, Montgomery 
County. 

Second. Henry Dease, from second corporal, Reading. 
Third. Stuart McAleese, from fifth sergeant, lUicks County. 
Fourth. John Hinnershotz, from private, Reading. 
Fifth. Jacob Bauer, from first corporal, Chester County. 
Sixth. lohn 1). Jones, from fifth corijoral. New \'ork State. 

Corporals. 

First. John W. Morris, from sixth corporal, Reading. 
Second. Fdward H. Barker, from ninth corporal, New 
^'ork State. 

Third. Aaron Martin, no change, Reading. 

Fourth, (ieorge Hart, no change, Reading. 

Fifth. William W. Drayer, from private, Berks County. 

Sixth. Charles C. Berg, from private, Reading. 

Seventh. Andrew J. Schweimler, no change, Reading. 

Eighth. Jacob L. Beam, no change, Chester County. 






i 




Lieut. 
ADLEY B, Lawrence. 




Lieut. Charles A. Cui i el 



PEF.riLEs' Farm and Popi-ar Grove Church. 219 

Ninth. Abraham D. Bhindin, from sixth sergeant, Bucks 
County. 

Tenth. Lewis BoUman, from private, Reading. 

Eleventh. EUas K, Cooper, no change, Bucks County. 

Twelfth. William H. Quaintance, no change, C'hester County. 

Artificers — Augustus K. Masser, Reading, and John H. 
Thompson, of Bucks County. 

Buglers — George Graeff and Jonas A. Montgomery, Reading. 

Ensign — Anthony B. Bitting, Reading. 

Company Clerk — l.ouis P. Bogia, Philadelphia. 

Joseph M. Cuffel, who had served as bugler from the organi- 
zation of the battery in 1S61, was made field hospital steward, to 
remain with the battery. His duties were to take charge of the 
medicines, bandages and other hospital supplies, and compound 
prescriptions for the surgeon, who had charge of the sick of several 
batteries of the corps. 

The promotions were very satisfactory to the men of the bat- 
tery. The officers were all young men promoted from the ranks, 
who had experienced three years of active service, and knew the 
needs of the private soldier. There was not one of them who was 
not capable and deserving. 



220 Durell's Battery. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 
Hatcher's Run. 

ON October 14th, the 198th Pennsyh'ania Regiment arrived 
at the left wing of the Hnes investing Petersburg, and 
encamped close to the battery. Some of the Bucks Coun- 
tians, of which that regiment was partly composed, took an early 
opportunity to visit their acquaintances in the battery. They were 
heartily welcomed and entertained and feasted with the best that 
the artillerymen could provide. 

On the 1 8th, Oeorge Schwenk, who had joined the battery 
from Reading during the previous January, died suddenly of colic. 
Cold and frosty weather was now coming on, and its approach 
induced the men to write home for boxes of underclothing, etc. 
The right and centre sections of the battery, under command of 
Lieutenants Sailor and Cuffel were stationed in Foi . Gregg. Four 
brass pieces of the Seventh Main Battery also occupied that large 
fortification. The left section, under command of Lieutenant 
Lawrence, was posted in Fort Welsh. The Confederate works 
which were hidden from view by a dense forest which intervened 
when this fort was built, were now in plain view. The forest had 
been cut down and much of the timber used in the construction of 
the intrenchments and for fuel. Much of the timber had been 
fired and consumed in order to remove the obstruction to the view. 

The op|>osing |)ickets were now on friendly terms, for they 
had agreed not to fire at each other. They met half way between 
the lines, traded newspapers, g^ve coffee for tobacco (the latter 
article appearing always to be in plentiful sui)ply among the enemy), 
and, in short, exchanged anything that one side possessed and the 
other needed. A few girls were reported to be occupying a house 
just within the enemy's line. The Union pickets intpiired of the 
"Johnnies '" whether they had any females to trade. 

I'he batterymen, when not engaged at drill, filling bags with 
sand to protect the embrasures of the fort, or other work necessary 
to strengthen the position, were at liberty to stroll a short distance 
from camp, and frequently visited the picket-line to get a good 



Hatcher's Run. 221 

view of the "johnnies" and learn what was transpiring at the 
front. 

On the morning of October 27th the whole Army of the 
Potomac was put in motion, leaving only sufficient men to hold the 
fortified line. Parke, who was posted at the extreme left, in the posi- 
tion which he had won ten days before, moved out toward Hatcher's 
Run, supported by Warren. They were to strike the enemy's in- 
trenchments at that point, while Hancock was to execute the main 
movement to the railroad. But Parke, upon coming in front of the 
line which he was to carry found it impenetrable. Hancock's 
Corps was now wholly isolated. Whole regiments of Crawford's 
Division, which had crossed Hatcher's Run, lost their way in the 
dense woods in the effort to join Hancock. The gap was about a 
mile wide, yet such was the difficult character of the intervening 
space that each command was unaware of the precise position of 
the other. 

The enemy, apparently unaware of the approach of Crawford, 
arranged an assault upon Hancock. He crossed the run between 
Hancock and Crawford, fairly turned Hancock's right, which, look- 
ing for an attack from another direction, was struck in the rear. 
One brigade gave way for a space, losing a number of guns. But 
Egan's Division promptly changed front so as to face the enemy, 
who now had become aware that Crawford was close upon his left. 
The Confederates, bewildered, changed front so as to expose their 
flank to Egan, who swept on, while a brigade of infantry and Ker- 
win's dismounted cavalry struck in front. The Confederates, 
overborne by the fierce rush, gave way, and were driven from the 
field, leaving behind them nearly a thousand prisoners. Had 
Crawford in the meanwhile advanced, the whole Confederate force, 
isolated by the stream, must have been captured. But, though so 
close at hand, the noise of the musketry was not heard by him 
through the forest. Two hundred of the Confederates lost in the 
woods, strayed witliin Crawford's lines, and gave themselves up as 
prisoners. 

The enemy had met a decided repulse ; but Hancock's posi- 
tion was still critical. He was yet isolated and in front of a force 
of unknown strength, which would undoubtedly attack next morn- 
ing with increased energy. His ammunition was nearly exhausted, 
so he withdrew that night and retraced his way to the lines from 
which he had set out. 'i'hus the attempt to get possession of the 
South Side Railroad proved a failure, 



222 Durell's Battery. 

liy the I St of November the troops had all returned to their 
former position in the fortifications. The battery was a part of the 
force left to defend the fortified line, and consequently did not see 
any of the fighting, in which, however, very little artillery was used 
on account of the density of the forest, which was the scene of 
the conflict. The men in the caisson park were set to work at 
clearing a piece of wood near by for a new camp ground, with the 
intention of building winter (juarters upon it if the prospects of 
remaining at that place for some time should prove favorable. The 
change to the new location was to have been made on the 2nd, 
but rain set in and prevented the movement. The camp was 
moved on the 5th, but to an entirely different spot from that which 
had been cleared, into a woods back of corps headquarters. 

Soft bread was now issued to the men on every other day. 
That article of diet could also be bought of the commissary at the 
rate of three loaves for twenty-five cents. Butter was occasionally 
offered by the sutlers at eighty cents per pound. A few days later 
the caissons were again moved about two miles farther to the rear, 
where a piece of woods was cut down and the ground cleared for a 
park. Details of cannoneers were made from the sections in posi- 
tion at the front, and sent back to assist in the work. Trees and 
stumps were removed, brush burned and a fence Iniilt round the 
camp. New tents were received, which were duly appreciated, as 
the old ones were leaky. Two new gun carriages were also 
received on a re([uisition for other articles needed for the better- 
ment of the battery. 

The Presidential election occurred on November 8th, when a 
polling place was estabUshed in a wall tent, and the polls were 
opened to receive the cjualified votes of the batterymen. The 
following election officers were appointed : Judge, Lieutenant 
James [,. Mast, of Berks ; Inspectors, Lieutenant Charles A. 
Cuffel, of Bucks, and pri\ate Henry Parton, of Schuylkill County ; 
Clerks, privates John Schrader, of Berks, and William Bracefield. 
of Schuylkill. Of about one hundred and fifty men then com- 
j)rising the number of members of the battery, eighty-five voted. 
A large portion of the remaining number had not reached the age 
to entitle them to a vote. Fifty-eight votes were cast for Abraham 
Lincoln, and twenty-seven for Ceorge B. McClellan. 

Orders to build winter cpiarters were received on the 12th, 
which command the men cheerfully complied with by proceeding 
at once to work. They logged up to the height of four feet and 



Hatcher's Run. 223 

roofed with new tarpaulins, each hut being provided with a fire- 
place. This structure made very comfortable cpiarters for eight 
men. Drills took place every pleasant day, the new officers being 
desirous of bringing the battery up to the degree of proficiency 
which it held before the three years' men went home, a few of 
whom had predicted that it would go down after they left it. But 
the veterans who had now served with the battery for more than 
three years were pleased with the new officers and the energetic 
manner in which they assumed their duties, and were confident 
that they were quahfied to lead them to battle and care for their 
needs. 

The mihtary railroad had been extended three miles, from its 
late terminus at the Yellow House to Peebles' Farm, on which 
trains were now carrying supplies and troops, the road running 
within a few hundred yards from the caisson park. A storm set in 
on the 1 8th, accompanied by cold weather and heavy rain falls, 
which continued until the morning of the 22nd. 

Thanksgiving day fell on the 24th of November, and was 
passed by the men in the same manner as any other day of the 
week ; but a lot of apples and turkeys were received on the day 
following. These good things were late in coming, but the turkey 
tasted as good and was just as highly appreciated by the soldiers, 
as if it had arrived at the proper time. Each man received three 
apples and three quarters of a pound of roasted and stuffed turkey. 

Captain Rhoads now had the battery well in hand and thor- 
oughly organized. The commissions for his lieutenants arrived 
from Harrisburg on the 24th, after a vexatious delay, and the ap- 
pointees were at once mustered out of service as non-commissioned 
officers, and mustered in as commissioned ofiicers. The ranks were 
filled with recruits who were added from time to time. All dam- 
aged or worn equipage and material belonging to the battery was 
condemned and new drawn to replace it. Every opportunity to 
drill was improved, and the liattery had made good progress in 
its tactics. All the batteries of the Ninth Corps were ordered to 
assemble at corps headquarters, where they were critically inspected 
by Captain Miller, inspector general of the Artillery Brigade, Ninth 
Army Corps, who stated that Rhoads' and the 19th New York were 
in good condition for active service, but that the others were only 
in iair condition. The inspector general complimented the officers 
of the battery in bringing their command, in so short a time, up to 
the mark which it had reached. 



224 DuREi.t.'s Battery. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

SUPPORTINCr THE CavALRV. 

ON November 28th, the Ninth Corps was relieved by the 
Second. The battery packed up and moved to the rear in 
the afternoon. After proceeding about four miles, orders 
came to retrace the march to the position that had. just been left, 
as no artillery had arrived to occupy it. Night was setting in when 
the place was reached and the sections resumed their respective 
positions in the forts. The comfortable quarters which had been 
constructed at the caisson park were gone, the best portion of the 
material of which the huts were composed, having been carried 
away by the neighboring infantry. That was, however, of no serious 
importance to the men, as they were morally certain of leaving 
again in the morning, and the)- could easily rough it without shelter 
through one night. 

The next morning the command was off again and marched 
toward Petersburg, turning off to the right before reaching the Pe- 
tersburg front. It took position on the rear line of fortifications, 
in support of a large body of cavalry placed there to protect the 
rear of the Union army from incursions of the enemy. This rear 
line of intrenchments was built to protect the military railroad, and 
extended from the James River to Hatcher's Run. The caissons 
were parked about half a mile from Hancock Station, near Fort 
Stevenson. The right section, under command of Lieutenant 
Sailor, was stationed in this fort, which was an earth work large 
enough to accommodate thirty-one guns. These two guns were 
the only ones occupying the fort, one being stationed at each end. 
The space between them was so great that the men who manned 
them were almost out of sight of each other. The centre section, 
commanded by Lieutenant Cuffel, was posted in Fort Blaisdell, a 
smaller work located on the Jerusalem plank road, distant half a 
mile to the left of Fort Stevenson. The left section, under Lieu- 
tenant Lawrence, was assigned to Fort I'atrick Kelly, a mile to the 
left of I'ort Blaisdell. 



SUPPORTINC; THE CaVALRV. 225 

The men back at the caisson |)ark went to work and in a few 
days completed very comfortable quarters. Those who had gone 
with the guns to the forts had the good fortune of finding in them 
quite as good (quarters as those which they had left at Poplar 
Grove Church, and were thus well prepared for the rough weather 
due at this season of the year. The weather was, however, very 
mild and pleasant during the early part of December, which was 
favorable for field drill, of which the caj^tain took daily advantage. 
It was the only occasion that brought the men of the isolated 
sections of the battery together. The captain hoped to be able to 
get the battery together in camp before winter weather set in, so 
that its efficiency in drill might be still further im]>roved. 

On the morning of December 6th, the Fifth and Second Army 
Corps moved down the Jerusalem Plank Road supposed to be on 
their way to the enemy's railroad communications. Two divisions 
of the Sixth Corps had arrived from the Shenandoah Valley a day 
or two previous, and occupied the works vacated by the troops 
engaged in this movement The Ninth Corps held all the line 
from the Appomattox River to the Yellow House — which imphed 
the most strenuous work on the whole line of investment of 
Richmond and Petersburg. It was thought that some very im- 
portant movement was under way and a battle was expected to 
take place at some point on the left of our lines. The battery was 
placed under orders to be in readiness to move to the front line 
and take position in the trenches which it had occupied during the 
summer, where rifle balls and exploding shells, from cannon and 
and mortar, made the air constantly vocal with their pecuhar music. 

Rain began to fall soon after the columns of the Second and 
Fifth Corps had passed out of sight down the road. This frequentlv 
occurred after the army had begun an important movement, and 
often proved a great hindrance to the success of its ojierations. 
But the skies cleared beautifully toward evening, and the moon 
shone with a brightness that made objects visible at a considerable 
distance. All hands listened to hear the thunder of artillery and 
the rattle of musketry resound from the left the next morning, l)ut 
there was no aural intimation of a conflict from that quarter to 
greet the ear. It was supposed that the column was making a 
wide detour and had not yet reached the enemy's flank. 

A few days afterward the troops returned, arriving within the 
fortified lines during the night in a storm. About two inches of 
snow had fallen during the afternoon, which turned to rain n the 



2 26 Durell's Battery. 

evening, and made their marcli a very sloppy and unpleasant one. 
The column had made a successful raid on the enemy's railroad 
communications, torn up the tracks for a considerable distance and 
destroyed other property of value to the enemy. A more extended 
movement seemed to be in contemplation ; in fact, some of the 
infantry had already struck tents and were in readiness to march, 
but it was abandoned because of the severity of the storm before 
the troops got under way. 

All hands were now employed in strengthening their (juarters 
against the force of the storm, and for the winter, should they be 
permitted to remain in them so long. All the cracks and crevices 
in the log structures were chinked and plastered with ' ' good old 
Virginia nind," the fire place and chimney were strengthened, the 
canvas roof tightened, and a larger supply of fire wood brought in. 
These quarters were of various designs of architecture, some of 
them growing into very cozy and comfortable quarters, containing 
bunks, tables and benches. Many a comrade in looking back 
over his army life in search of comforts will call to inind that one 
of the few comforts he enjoyed in his soldier life, that of his 
residence in the little log hut down in Virginia was not among the 
least. 

Two deserters were hung on the 9th, at a i)oint about one 
mile from the battery's caisson park. All the troops that could be 
spared from duty were marched out of the lines to witness the 
execution. I'he unfortunate young men, who had gone over to 
the enemy and enlisted in his army, were taken prisoners by some 
of Sheridan's troops in the Shenandoah N'alley, where they were 
recognized and court martialed. One of them smoked a cigar while 
being marched in front of the line of troops, until the scaffold was 
reached. They both deported themselves witli the utmost 
impudence and bravado. 



Again at the Front. 227 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Again at the Front. 

THE guns of the battery were withdrawn from the different 
forts which they occupied on the rear hue on the evening 
of the i8th, and posted in the front of Petersburg, a short 
distance to the left of Fort Morton, the scene of the battery's 
operations during the previous summer. 'I'hree guns, under com- 
mand of Lieutenant Lawrence, were posted in Fort Meikle. Lieu- 
tenant Sailor's section was stationed in a redoubt in rear of Fort 
Sedgwick (commonly called ' 'Fort Hell" ), and the remaining piece 
in command of Lieutenant Cuffel, was assigned to Fort Rice as a 
reinforcement to that fort, which already contained a battery of 
guns. So Rhoads' Battery was again split up and its guns placed 
hundreds of yards apart. 

The caissons did not break camp until the following morning, 
when they were moved up to the cut of the Petersburg and Nor- 
folk Railroad. Here Captain Rhoads ascertained that several bat- 
teries which were in park near by were about to move from the 
ground upon which he desired to park his caissons. He therefore 
concluded to return to the camp ground from which he had started 
and wait until the batteries moved. This camp would give his 
men as good quarters as those which they had expected to leave 
behind them. 

On the following morning the caissons were again moved up 
toward Petersburg and halted beside the camp which had just been 
vacated by the Fourth Rhode Island Battery. But as that battery 
had moved only a short distance, guards were left at the <[uarters 
to hold possession of them until its men could return and remove 
them to the new camp ground. A i)retty heavy rain fell all that 
day and the next, so that little of the material could be moved. 
But on the following day the weather cleared off", when the Rhode 
Islanders came in force, and were busy nearly all day hauling logs, 
bricks, etc. Rhoads' men, who were very much disappointed at 
these proceedings and looked upon the removal of the quarters as 
a species of robbery, proceeded to the work of constructing new 
ones. In a few days they had completed good log huts, with a 



228 Durell's Battery. 

brick chimney to each, which were considered tjuite palatial. They 
were needed, as the weather was now growing cold. This was the 
third time that winter quarters were built during that season. 

The caisson park was situated on a knoll about a mile in rear 
of the forts in which the guns were located, a hundred yards from 
the trestle bridge of the miUtary railroad, and a mile above Meade 
Station. The horses were fairly well sheltered in stables con- 
structed of cedar boughs. The steeples and large buildings of 
Petersburg were in plain view from this point, and it was a good 
place to observe operations along the lines extending from Fort 
Steadman to Fort Sedgwick. 

Fort Meikle was the first on the hne of forts extending to the 
left frcmi Fort Morton. It was located on low ground directly in 
front txf Petersburg, and about a mile distant therefrom. Next in 
order came Fort Rice, a large earthwork located on an elevation 
overlooking the ravines to the right and front, and commanding an 
excellent range for the operation of the artillery. Next to the left 
was Fort Sedgwick, built across the Jerusalem plank road, and facing 
Fort Mahone, a large Confederate fort (commonly called "Fort 
Damnation " ), perhaps 600 yards distant, which was about the most 
pert and combative earthwork on the Confederate front. The Union 
and Confederate lines approached nearer at this point than at any 
other along the investing lines, the pickets being posted in pits not 
much more than a hundred yards apart. Here the fighting had 
been, up to a recent period, most vigorous and incessant, giving 
to that place the common appellation of " Hell and Damnation." 

But the constant and furious fire that had been kept up between 
the pickets during the summer had subsided, an armistice having 
been agreed upon, by which the shooting was stopped during the 
daytime. But as soon as darkness came on one side or the other 
would shout, "(Jet into your holes !" and the firing would begin. 
It was agreed that the aim should be high enough to carry the bul- 
lets over the heads of the opponents. If a bullet from the " John- 
nies ' ' by chance struck close by, or whiz/.ed uncomfortably close 
to a Yankee's head, which frequently occurred, the "Johnny" 
would be reminded of the agreement in language more emphatic 
than elegant. Thus was night made hideous by the shrieking bul- 
lets and excited yells of the pickets until daylight, when the firing 
ceased, and the pickets, emerging from their pits, met each other 
half way between the lines, e.xchanged New York and Richmond 
papers, swapped coffee for tobacco, or, perhaps, even sat down to a 
sociable game at cards. 



Again at the Front. ii^ 

The enemy, no doubt noticing unusual activity in Fort Meikle, 
threw several mortar shells at it on the evening following the arrival 
of Lieutenant Lawrence's command, one alighting on the bomb- 
proof and another striking one of the gabions surrounding the fort 
and demohshing it. But neither shot hurt any one. No reply was 
made by Lawrence' s guns. The principal part of the firing engaged 
in by the artillery, was done by the mortars. At night the 
burning fuse could be seen flaring from the projectile as it flew 
through the air, and the hissing sound it made was all the warning 
given of its approach. The report of the discharge of the piece 
was seldom heard, the sound being subdued by its location in a 
deep pit. 

The approaches to the forts on the front line were made in 
covered ways or traverses, which ran zigzag from the low ground 
in the rear. These traverses were wide enough to permit artillery 
to pass through them. 

The men in the forts also built log huts, which were roofed 
with tarpaulins or tents, and were very good quarters. A heavy 
rain storm set in on the 20th, which continued during the day fol- 
lowing, as if to try them. They stood the test very well. 

A battery of seven 3 2 -pound rifle Parrott guns, commonly 
called the "Seven Sisters," was stationed in a fort situated on 
high ground in rear of Fort Meikle. These guns fired a salute on 
the 26th, in honor of the capture of Savannah with 150 large guns 
plenty of ammunition and 25,000 bales of cotton, Crcneral Sher- 
man's Christmas present to the Nation. They were not shotted 
salutes, however, such as had been hurled against the Confederate 
line along the Petersburg front in the celebration of several pre- 
vious victories. The Seven Sisters were placed at this point for the 
purpose of contending with a Confederate battery of heavy Whit- 
worth guns, posted in a large fort on the heights immediately oppo- 
site, which the enemy occasionally used against the trains on the 
military railroad, and on bodies of troops seen moving in the LTnion 
rear. When the Whitworths and the Seven Sisters engaged in a 
duel the air was made terribly vocal with the shrieks of the pro- 
jectiles flying over the heads of the occupants of Fort Meikle, which 
was located on a direct line between the contestants. During one 
of these duels the enemy sent a Whitworth shell into the caisson 
park. It passed through one of the tents and burst in the midst 
of the camp. One man's face was skinned and his beard scorched, 
but no damage of any consequence was sustained. Not a serious 



230 Dl'RELI.'s BaT'JERV. 

casualty had occurred to the battery since its return to the front of 
the city, but there were several narrow escapes. 

Three blank shots were fired by one of the batteries on the 
night of the 26th, which was a signal to the Confederates who had 
knowledge of the secret, that the way was clear for all who wished 
to desert their cause to come over, 'i'he Union troops in the 
trenches were all under arms, watchful and prepared to render 
assistance to any who might come to give themselves up, or to fight 
if a strong force approached armed for an attack. But few came 
over on this occasion. It was said that the Confederate officers 
had learned of the plot and took prompt measures to block the 
scheme. Twenty-five Confederates came over and surrendered on 
Christmas night. They reported that a large number of their com- 
rades were meditating desertion and would come over on the first 
opportunity. They had little to eat or to wear, and were discour- 
aged at the course the war was taking. 

The last day of the year went out with rain, snow, hail and 
wind, and a temperature that chilled every one to the bone. The 
log huts, which were as complete as they could be made with rude 
materials and limited resources for construction, were yet inade- 
quate to provide comfort against such a severe storm. The horses 
back in the caisson park suffered more than the men. While the 
cedar stables partly protected them from the bitter wind, the roof, 
made of the same material, let the water through like a sieve. 
The floor of the stables had been corduroyed with logs, which 
saved them from standing knee-dee]) in mud, as they had done in 
times past. 



tl? 



The Siege tn Winter. 231 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

The Sie(;e in Winter. 

THE advent of the year 1865 found the army still besieging 
Petersburg and Richmond, comfortably fixed in winter 
quarters constructed for the most part of boards and logs, 
and built by the soldiers' own hands ; but there would have been 
no difficulty in making a flank movement against the enemy at any 
time when the ground was hard enough. .\ great deal of firing 
was still kept up between the opposing pickets, mostly during the 
night. This was especially the case on the line extending along 
the front of the position held by the three isolated sections of the 
battery. While the Second Corps had occupied this portion of 
the line, which had been relieved by the Ninth Corps, the Con- 
federate rifle pits had been stormed at night, on severail occasions, 
their pickets driven back to the main line and a number of them 
captured. Thereafter the enemy's pickets kept up a continuous 
fire throughout the night, as a cautionary measure against surprise, 
but ceased at daylight. 

Furloughs for the enlisted men and leave of absence for the 
officers were now granted, General Grant having issued an order 
directing that ten per cent, of the force of each command at a 
time should be given leave to go home A number of the mem- 
bers of the battery promptly availed themselves of this privilege. 
Among the first squad to go was Lieutenant Cuffel, who started 
for home on January 4th, on a fifteen days' leave of absence. 

Fort Meikle was somewhat altered and repaired during the 
month of January. The heavy rains had caved in some of the 
bomb-proofs, after which a squad of the engineer corps was set to 
work to alter and strengthen them. A flag of truce was hoisted in 
front of Fort Meikle on the i6th and kept there for two days, but 
for what purpose could not l)e ascertained. For some time after- 
ward all was quiet along the picket hnes, which made the long 
winter nights seem very dull. There was a rumor afloat at this 
time that the Ninth Corps was to be relieved by the Fifth, which 
was lying in reserve, but it proved to be mere conjecture. 



232 Durell's Battery. 

Rain set in on the 20th, and continued to fall for several day«. 
The air was raw and so cold that it froze as it fell. The storm 
caused some washouts in the line of intrenchments, and drove the 
pickets of friend and foe alike out of their pits. Both ])arties 
stood out in the ojien, neither one showing any inclination to molest 
the other. 

Desertions from the Confederate lines were now becoming an 
every day occurrence. The usual route taken by the guard con- 
ducting the prisoners to Ninth Corps headquarters passed near the 
caisson park. Some of the deserters were minus shoes and many 
were poorly clad. If they happened along while the batterymen 
were in line with tin cup in hand for their ration of bean soup, the 
"Johnnies" would cast a furtive glance at the soup that indicated 
a consuming desire for some of it. 

On January 28th, a white flag was displayed in front of the 
enemy's works, near the scene of the mine explosion, when the 
firing on both sides ceased. It was at once met by the officer in 
command of the brigade picket line, midway between the two lines, 
where he inquired the object of the truce. The Confederate offi- 
cer repHed that Lieutenant Colonel Hatch, Assistant Commissioner 
of Exchanges, desired an interview with the chief of General 
Grant's staff, on business of the greatest imjjortance. The Union 
officer returned to make his report, but before receiving instruc- 
tions from his superior officers, the truce again advanced and he 
returned to meet it. 'i'his time two men accompanied the flag. 
One was an old man, apparently scarcely able to walk. It proved 
to be Alex. H. Stephens, vice-president of the Confederate States. 
'J'he other was R. M. T. Hunter, a member of the Confederate 
Senate. Mr. Stephens informed the picket officer that Mr. Hun- 
ter and he had been apjiointed commissioners of peace and that 
he should report such information to General Grant. They also 
recjuested that (ieneral Grant be informed that they were ap])ointed 
to confer with Mr. Lincoln ; and, as the James River was ice- 
bound they could not get down that way to Washington, but 
wanted to come througli liis lines so as to lose no time 

General (irant was at this time down at Fori Fisher, North 
Carolina, making a personal investigation of General Butler's failure 
to capture that point ; consecpiently nothing could be done until 
his return. Twenty-four hours alter Grant had returned, when 
arrangements were made to admit the commissioners into the 
Union lines. From the moment ilic flag of truce was displayed 



T'he Siege in Winter. 233 

the works of both lines were crowded with troops, friend and foe, 
watching the proceedings in silence until their signification was re- 
vealed, when, as by a common impulse, the soldiers of both sides 
yelled with delight at the prospect of coming peace. Cheer upon 
cheer was given, extending for some distance on the right and left 
of the lines, each side trying to cheer the loudest. " Peace in the 
brain ' ' appeared now to have spread like a contagion. Officers of 
all grades, from lieutenants to major-generals were to be seen flying 
on horseback in all directions to catch a ghmpse of the gentlemen 
who were apparently to bring peace so unexpectedly. 

It was arranged that the commissioners were to be admitted 
into the Union lines on the 30th. Troops had assembled in a surg- 
ing mass to witness their coming. Some of them had traveled 
a great distance, from City Point to Ream's Station ; but only to 
meet with disappointment. There was a hitch somewhere, and 
the admission of the commissioners was deferred until the following 
day. At 5 P. M. of the 31st, the commissioners, accompanied by 
servants, trunks, etc. , were admitted. Another large crowd 
thronged every available point of observation and the scene was an 
animating one. The Confederate works near the scene were 
crowded with women and soldiers ; the Union works with soldiers 
only. A large closed carriage was seen approaching from the 
"Cockade City" toward the enemy's works. It was watched 
with interest by all eyes along both lines. It halted at the works 
and the inmates got out. As the last occupant of the vehicle 
ahghted to the ground the Confederate soldiery burst out in cheers 
for the distinguished party, while the ladies waved their snowy 
handkerchiefs. Slowly the party crossed hne after hne of intrench- 
ment and pits, which had made the surface of the ground as rough 
as the upheaval of an earthquake. Judge Campbell, Assistant- 
Secretary of War, was the third member of the Confederate com- 
mission. 

General (irant had several fine ambulances in waiting to 
convey the distinguished gentleman to City Point, where they 
remained several days as guests on board of a steamboat, until 
President Lincoln could meet them, which he did a few days after- 
ward at Hampton Roads. As the commissioners entered the Union 
lines, they were received with loud cheering which was taken up 
by thousands in the rear. The Confederate pickets gave three 
cheers and a "tiger" for the Yankee army, which the Federal 
pickets acknowledged with a similar comphment. Then the I'nion 



2 34 Durell's Battery. 

suldiers proposed three cheers for the ladies of Petersburg, which 
were heartily given, and was taken up by the Confederate troops 
with equal enthusiasm. The ladies acknowledged the compliment 
by waving their handkerchiefs. The works of the main line had 
been slightly leveled down to make it easier for the party to jjass 
through. Mr. Stephens seemed to be very feeble and somewhat 
excited, and walked very slowly to the ambulance, where he had to 
be assisted to get in. 

The conference resulted in total failure, the commissioners 
asking for recognition of their Confederacy and its independence. 
President Lincoln demanded the disbandment of the Confederate 
army and the acknowledgment of the supremacy of the Constitution 
and laws of the United States, and the return of the Southern 
people to their former allegiance. 

Lieutenant Henry A. Widdifield, acting quartermaster of the 
104th Regiment, P. V., which was lying at Bermuda Hundred, 
visited his Bucks County friends in the battery on the 30th. This 
was the first visit received from any one of that regiment since the 
spring of 1862, when the regiment and battery were widely sepa- 
rated in different commands of the army. 

The pieces and caissons were repainted, the harness over- 
hauled, repaired, greased and blackened, and everything belonging 
to the outfit of the battery put in good condition for the spring 
campaign. There were signs of a coming movement, some of the 
troops not on duty in the trenches being placed under marching 
orders, and the headcjuarter orderlies were flying from post to post 
as fast as their horses could carry them. 

The batteries all fired shotted salutes at noon on the 22nd in 
honor of Washington's Birthday. The ever welcome paymaster 
dropped in on the battery during the day, and gave the men four 
months' pay. In the evening orders were received to be ready to 
move at a moment's notice. Everything back in the caisson park 
was packed up, and the bugle call for " Boots and Saddles" was 
expected the next morning. There was much conjecture as to 
what movenicnl was contemplated. Some thought that another 
detour on the enemy's flank was to be undertaken ; others that the 
Confederates were about to evacuate Petersburg, and were to be 
holly pursued, and one report had it that the enemy was about to 
assault some point on the lines. However, no orders to move 
were given on this occasion. 

Lieutenant INList had returned from his leave of absence, after 




FORT SEDGWICK 



The Siege in Winter. 235 

which Lieutenant Sailor (on February 6th) started for his home in 
Reading. Lieutenant Cuffel took command of his section, then 
occupying Battery No. 21, adjoining Fort Sedgwick. The num- 
bered batteries were strong earthworks, generally a part of the 
main hne, and located between the larger forts. They were 
designed for one or more field pieces, and were open at the rear. 
In No. 21 was also stationed a section of twelve pound brass pieces 
of the Sixth Main Battery, under command of Lieutenant Thorp. 
The 48th Pennsylvania was the infantry support. After Lieutenant 
Sailor's return to the battery, Captain Rhoads went home (on the 
25th), leaving Sailor in command, and after his return Lieutenant 
Lawrence went to his home in Chester County on fifteen days' 
leave of absence. 

General Schofield's victory at Wilmington, North Carolina, 
was announced to the troops on the 24th, which was accompanied 
by an order for a shotted salute of one hundred guns. The battery 
took part in this salute, each of its guns expending one shot. The 
firing began on the right of the Ninth Corps line, and extended to 
the left of it, with an interval of ten seconds between each shot. 
One of the shots from Cuffel' s guns was aimed at a large frame 
house which was reported to be the headquarters of the Confed- 
erate General Wallace. The shot did not quite reach the house, 
but struck the ground a short distance in front of it. The shot 
from the other gun of the section struck the rampart of one of the 
enemy's forts. But one shot was sent by the enemy in reply at 
this point, and that was not effective. 

On the previous evening the mortars located a short distance 
to the right of Battery No. 21 opened on the enemy to ascertain 
whether he had taken away his artillery. The Confederates 
promptly replied, imparting the desired information by sending 
over a shower of eight-inch mortar shells. The evacuation of 
Petersburg was daily anticipated, which called for untiring watch- 
fulness on the enemy's movements, with an occasional "feeler" of 
his artillery strength. Desertions from the Confederate lines con- 
tinued, twenty-one entering the line of three Union regiments on 
the night of the 24th, twenty of whom were from the Twenty-sixth 
South Carolina Regiment. It became quite a regular practice for 
the Yankees stationed in the vicinity of P'ort Sedgwick to visit the 
brigade guard-house in the morning, to see how many "Johnnies" 
had come in ; especially after a dark or stormy night, which gen- 
erally brought a greater number. Some came in with their arms. 



i^i) Durell's Battery. 

being encouraged to do so by a promise of pay for them from the 
Federal authorities. 

On March ist, the Confederates opened an unusually heavy fire 
of artillery on the Union lines, extending from Fort Meikle to Fort 
Morton, lieutenant Lawrence replied with his three guns and 
expended forty-two rounds of ammunition. He pursued the plan 
of loading his guns and sighting them at the embrasures of the en- 
emy's fort in front of him and waiting until they fired. Then the 
command "fire" was given, and Number 4 pulled the lanyard 
just as the enemy's cannoneers stepped up to their piece to sponge 
and load. The shells that exploded in the embrasure (and a num- 
ber of them reached the right spot) caught them uncovered, and 
administered severe punishment. The enemy's guns were silenced. 

On the 9th, the army in front of Petersburg received tlie news 
of Sheridan's capture of Early's army in the Shenandoah Valley. 
The announcement of this victory was received in the camps and 
trenches with cheers and much rejoicing. The weather was now 
warm and pleasant, the mud rapidly drying up, and the roads get- 
ting into a condition to permit the march of an army. It was ex- 
pected that an active campaign would soon open when the long 
siege of Petersburg would be brought to an end. A movement 
was momentarily expected on the 17th. The troops were ordered 
to keep eight days' rations on hand, and to send all surplus bag- 
gage to City Point. The soldiers were sure that "Grant would 
force Bobby Lee out of his hole this time." All was quiet along 
the lines in front of the city, with the exception of the usual picket 
fire during the night, and an occasional duel between the heavier 
guns or mortars. Sometimes the enemy opened with his artillery 
to which no reply was made from the Union side, but every move- 
ment of the enemy was closely watched. At this time th.rehad 
been no mortar duels for two weeks. 

A large force of men were set to work in the construction of 
a line of earthworks, which extended from a point a short distance 
to the left of Fort Sedgwick back to the rear line, and also in 
strengthening the rear line of works. This looked very much as 
though the long line of investment extending to the left from Fort 
Sedgwick was to be abandoned. 

About this time the enemy's cavalry, under Ceneral \Vade 
Ham])ton, passing the extreme left of tlie Union lines and then 
going south, got in east of the Union Army. Before their pres- 
ence was known, they had driven off a large number of beef cattle 



The Siege in Winter. 



237 



that were grazing in that locality. It was a very clever manoeuvre, 
and a rich prize for the enemy, whose troops were on a short al- 
lowance of fresh beef This incident caused quite a sensation in 
the camps ; but, hke previous forays of the enemy, soon ceased to 
be a subject of comment, being overshadowed by other events of 
almost daily occurrence. 




238 Durell's Battery. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

Battle of Fort Stead man. 

]W ARCH 25th marked the beginning of tlie end of the siege 
_/ A. of Petersburg, when Lee made an assault and cut the 
Federal line at Fort Steadman. The blow was struck by 
(leneral (Gordon with two of his divisions, while 20,000 more men 
were massed to follow up the assault in case an opening was made 
at Fort Steadman, and the crest in its rear was gained. At 4 o'clock 
in the morning the officer on duty made his rounds along the picket 
line ; the men were alert, and there was no indication of any move- 
ment on the part of the enemy. Gordon's troops were then as- 
sembled at a point between Fort Steadman and Battery No. 10, 
where the lines were close together, ready for his attack. Taking 
advantage of his knowledge of the fact that deserters had been 
coming into the Union lines, often bringing their arms with them, 
(jeneral Gordon sent his pickets, with their arms, creeping through 
to the Union pickets. 

Soon after the officer had passed by on his rounds, scpiad after 
sipiad, announcing themselves as deserters, began to drop in. The 
occurrence had come to be so common that no alarm was taken. 
Suddenly these scjuads dashed upon the pickets, overpowered them, 
and sent them to the rear as prisoners. In the main line the men 
were sleeping serenely as if in perfect safety. At the same moment 
the near Confederate abatis was opened and three strong columns 
emerged and carried Fort Steadman and Battery No. 10 with a 
rush. The distance that Gordon's men had to charge was not 
much over fifty yards. The garrison, 500 strong, were made pris- 
oners. Continuing the charge the enemy also carried batteries 11 
and 12 to the Union left, which they turned toward City Point. 
A gap of a (juarter of a mile had been made in the Union lines, an 
opening large enough to give passage to the force of 20,000 which 
had been massed to follow up the assault. 

The situation had assumed a grave aspect for the Federals, 
with ihe prospect of Meade Station, with its \aluable stores of arm\- 
supplies falling into the hands of the enemy. General I'arke, com- 




MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN F. HARTRANFT 



Battle of Fort Steadman. 239 

manding the Ninth Corps, held the hnes for a long distance to the 
right and left of Fort Steadman. General Meade happened to be 
at City Point, and this break cut him off from communication with 
his headquarters. Parke promptly made preparations to drive the 
enemy back, summoning Wright and Warren to move troops toward 
the point assailed, but before they could come up the Ninth Corps 
had done the work. C.eneral I'idball, Chief of Artillery of the 
Ninth Corps, gathered a large number of pieces of artillery and 
planted them upon the crest in the rear of the captured works, 
sweeping the s]jace between the lines thoroughly, which effectually 
stopped the advance. 

General Hartranft, conmianding the i'hird Division, composed 
of recruits from Pennsylvania, was encamped in reserve a mile or 
more distant. His division had sprung to arms and came up on 
the double-cpiick, arriving just in time to save Meade Station from 
capture. General Willcox was also soon out with his troops 

Hartranft, to the right of the breach, headed the Confederates 
oft' in that direction and rapidly drove them back into Fort Stead- 
man. On the other side they were driven into the intrenchments 
which they had captured, and batteries 1 1 and i 2 were retaken by 
Willcox early in the morning. Parke then threw a line around 
outside of the captured fort and batteries, and communication was 
once more restored. The artillery fire was kept up so continuously that 
it was impossible for the Confederates to retreat, and equally im- 
possible for reinforcements to join them. Forts Haskell on the 
left and McGilvery on the right, swept the narrow space to the 
Confederate lines with a lire under which no troops could hve. 

Gordon's troops now crouchecl in disorder behind the breast 
works which they had captured. (General Hartranft was about to 
attemjjt the recapture of Fort Steadman, when he was ordered to 
wait for the arrival of older troops — a division of the Sixth Corps, 
for which cars had been hurried up the road. After chafing under 
the restraint for some time he was permitted to assault, when he 
dashed upon the works with his Pennsylvanians, leading them in 
person, and captured the fort. Some of the Confederates ran the 
gauntlet of the terrible cross-fire and got back to their own lines, 
but nearly 3,000 of them were taken prisoners. 

This effort of Lee's cost him about 4,000 men, and resulted in 
the killing, wounding and capturing of about 2,000 I'nion soldiers. 
The loss in Hartranft' s command was about 150 men. The ground 
inside and outside of the works was thickly strewn with the Confed- 



240 Durell's Battery. 

erate dead. The artillery occupying the forts for some distance 
from the breach took part in the battle, Rhoads' Battery partici- 
pating. Its guns in Fort Meikle, were in closer proximity to the 
captured works than the other guns of the battery, and were, there- 
fore, more actively engaged than those in Forts Rice and Sedgwick. 

The conflict at Fort Steadman was finished before 9 o'clock, 
only a portion of the Ninth Corps having taken part in it. Meade 
soon after came upon the field, and in the afternoon pushed for- 
ward the Second and Sixth Corps to feel the enemy in their respec- 
tive fronts. After a fierce struggle the strong Confederate picket 
lines were carried, and held in spite of desperate attempts to retake 
them. This, in turn, gave them but a short distance to charge 
over when the attack on the enemy came to be made a few days 
later. 

Sheridan's cavalry, which had raided the Shenandoah Valley, 
tearing up railroads and destroying much property of value to the 
enemy, down to the outer works of Richmond, arrived at the 
Petersburg lines on the 27th, and encamped a short distance in 
rear of the battery park. The horses were jaded and many of them 
had lost their shoes. A few days of rest was necessary to recuper- 
ate the animals and to have them shod and put in condition for 
moving. The enemy opened his Whitworths upon the long column 
as it marched along the rear of the Union line, but the distance 
was too great for effective shots, (xeneral Hartranft's headquar- 
ters, located in the vicinity, were on several occasions the target for 
the shots of these guns, but they inflicted little or no damage. 
The Seven Sisters replied to the enemy's fire upon the cavalry and 
soon silenced his guns. 

The granting of furloughs and leaves of absence was now 
stopped, and all indications pointed to active service for the near 
future. Every necessary preparation was made to place the bat- 
tery in perfect condition for marching and fighting. Lieutenant 
Sailor was returned to the command of his section occupying 
Battery No. 21, relieving Lieutenant Cuffel, who was sent to Fort 
Meikle, where he joined Lieutenant Lawrence, taking command of 
his own section of guns stationed in that fort. 



Capture of Petkrsiu'ro. 241 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Capture of Peiershurg. 

THE greater portion of the Army of the Potomac had moved 
out against the enemy's flank beyond Hatcher's Run, 
leaving the Ninth Corps alone in front of Petersburg. 
Sheridan had met and defeated a strong Confederate force at Five 
Forks on April ist, and Parke was ordered to assault the works in 
his front, which were the strongest portion of their defences, at 4 
o'clock the next morning. 

There was a meeting of all the battery commanders of the 
corps at (ieneral Tidball's headc[uarters that night about 10 
o'clock, and orders were issued for a general bombardment, which 
\\as intended to cover an advance of the infantry. General Tidball 
also gave orders for every battery of artillery to be ready to move 
in any direction at a moment's notice. 

The flash and roar of the signal gun near the Avery House 
that turned loose the dogs of war found the cannoneers of Rhoads' 
Battery at their posts ready for action. Long experience had given 
them the range and knowledge of the proper length of fuse, and 
instantly the guns were once more dropping masses of shrieking, 
explosive metal upon the heads of the enemy. The bombardment 
grew furious as it extended along the whole hne, sweeping from the 
north of Petersburg clear around to Hatcher's Run, and the balls 
fairly crashed through the streets of Petersburg. The Confederate 
artillery replied with vigor, making this last bombardment of the 
war the heaviest and most terrific in the experience of the battery. 

This bombardment was kept up for several liours, when the 
order came to cease firing. Advantage was taken of this cessation 
to replenish the stock of ammunition, each gun receiving an extra 
supply. Shortly after 3 o'clock in the morning the order cime to 
reopen fire, which was done with cheerful promptness. The sight 
was one rarely seen. From countless muzzles on either side there 
seemed to spurt a constant stream of living fire as the shells 
screamed and hissed through the night in a semicircle of lurid 
flame. 'I'he constant roar of the field guns and mortars, accom- 
panied by the sharp detonations of exploding projectiles, was 



242 Durell's Battery. 

deafening. Dense banks of battle-smoke hung in the air, pierced 
by fiery shafts spitefully blazing their course to the mark. 

Parke was ordered to assault the works in his front at 4 
o'clock, but the night was so dark that the men could not see to 
move ; so the bombardment was kept up with relentless fury until 
there was light enough for the movement, which began about 5 
in the morning. 

The general plan for the Ninth Corps was that Willcox's 
Division should make a feint in front of Fort Steadman, while the 
divisions of Potter and Hartranft were to make the assault to the 
left, from Fort Sedgwick. Each column was accompanied by 
pioneers with axes. Willcox's feint was successful, his division 
carrying the whole outer line in his front, causing the Confederates 
to concentrate a heavy force to stay their further advance. Then 
the signal was given for the opening of the main assault. The 
troops, eager to avenge their former repulse at the explosion of the 
mine eight months before, sprang forward with a rush, and in the 
teeth of a deadly storm of grape, canister and musketry, plunged 
through the ditch, tore away the abatis and charged without flinch- 
ing directly on till they mounted the parapets and threw themselves 
inside of the enemy's lines. 

Fort Mahone and a considerable length of line was captured, 
but the outer was so near the inner line which closely enveloped 
the City of Petersburg that no advance forward could be made. 
The movements of the combatants could only be seen by watching 
the lines of opposing fire which gradually approached as the Union 
troops pressed on through and over the obstructions which barred 
their path. At last a mighty shout was heard, which meant the 
triumph of the Federals. The shout was taken up and carried to 
the rear, where all the wagoners and camp-followers waited in 
breathless expectancy. 

Hartranft" s Division captured twelve guns and 800 prisoners. 
Potter's Division, next on the left, attacked with etpial vigor ; and, 
in spite of the most gallant opposition, i)ressed the enemy clear 
back to his interior cordon of works. This inner line had within 
the last few months been most elaborately fortified. From it the 
position gained by Parke was swept on the right and left by an 
enfilading fire of artillery. Potter made a determined but unsuc- 
cessful effort to force this inner cordon. He fell severely wounded. 
But the assault by Sheridan on the far left, and Wright between, 
had met with such success that there was no need for the Ninth 



Capture of Petersburg. 243 

Corps to carry the lines opposed to them. Parke was directed not 
to advance unless he saw the way clear to success, but to strengthen 
his position so as to hold it against any assaihng force. Sheridan's 
victory at the Five Forks and Wright's piercing of the Confederate 
lines had, in a few hours, solved the long questioned problem of 
the siege of Petersburg. It was, indeed, a serious task for Parke 
to turn the lines which he had captured to the defence of his own 
troops and to hold them. A portion of the line was held by the 
enemy on the inside, while the ditch on the outside was occupied 
by Union infantry. Both sides kept under close cover, raising 
their rifles at arms length horizontally above their heads discharged 
them over the parapet at each other. The ditches contained some 
water, in which the troops stood and fought, many of them being 
literally plastered over with mud before the close of the day. 

Lee made frantic efforts to recover this portion of the line. 
He assaulted repeatedly with reinforcements, but every effort was 
repulsed. In one of these assaults Fort Mahone fell again, tem- 
porarily, into the hands of the enemy. So threatening were these 
assaults in the afternoon, that two brigades were ordered up from 
City Point and one from the Sixth Corps to reinforce the hard- 
pressed line, conspicuous among which were the red caps and 
trousers of the 114th Pennsylvania (CoUis' Zouaves) who had been 
performing guard duty. 

Fort Mahone was soon recaptured, and Parke wished to renew 
the assault which had been closed in the morning ; but finding that 
his men were greatly exhausted, he decided merely to make his 
position perfectly secure, and take advantage of any movement the 
enemy might make showing an intention of evacuating his position. 
With the addition of the reinforcements the better defence of the 
captured works were completed, and an intrenched line built back 
from the right, so as to protect the flank. An abatis was also car- 
ried in and placed in front of the captured position. ]''.ven after 
this was done, Lee brought additional troops and artillery against 
Parke, and made several assaults with very heavy losses. 

After the bombardment had ceased, the men of Lieutenant 
Sailor's section had nothing to do for a time but to act as specta- 
tors of the operations of the infantry. Some time after daylight a 
staft" officer came up to the lieutenant and ordered him to advance 
with his men across to the support of the infantry, and work some 
guns in one of the captured forts to the left of Fort Mahone. The 
orders were urgent and Lieutenant Sailor at once set out with 



244 Durell's Battery, 

his men for the front. Every confidence was placed in the lieuten- 
ant, who was a capable and brave officer. It was well understood 
that the duty to be performed was one of great peril. Each man 
was given full instructions as to his proper place and duty, and then 
the command started on a lively run over the open space for the 
designated spot. The trip was in no sense a pleasure excursion. 
Although dislodged in the immediate front, the Confederates were 
still well posted on both right and left, and had a converging fire 
on the open space over which the troops passed toward Fort 
Mahone, which they raked vigorously with both cannon and mus- 
ketry. 

Fortunately, none of Sailor's men were struck, and when they 
halted in front of the captured fort for a few moment's breathing 
spell, they found the ditch filled with infantry, who were not a little 
demorahzed by their early morning experience. A number of the 
troops had never been under fire before, but the dead and wounded 
were plentiful enough to attest their valor when the assault was 
made. Shortly before Sailor's arrival the Confederates had been 
reinforced, and the Union line had been pressed back upon the 
works. To the unarmed artillerymen the prospect at that moment 
was not particularly pleasant to contemplate. Through the em- 
brasures they could see the guns they were expected to man, but 
beyond them the enemy's sharpshooters were well intrenched in 
the traverses, and had a good range on the guns, unprotected as 
they were at the rear. It looked like a veritable death trap, but 
there was nothing to do but go ahead. 

The progress through the embrasures was a series of jumps, 
rolls and short runs, seeking any protection that offered from the 
enfilading fire. At the same moment the infantry opened the as- 
sault with renewed fury, and succeeded in pressing back the Con- 
federate line and dislodging many of the troublesome sharpshooters. 
There was a full battery of field guns in this fort, one of them still 
pointing its grim muzzle toward the Union lines, and another had 
been run back a short distance and spiked. The magazine con- 
tained a good supply of ammunition. Sailor ordered his men to 
their places, which order they promptly obeyed, although the air 
seemed alive with flying metal. They began to serve up Confed- 
erate shells out of Confederate guns that a few hours before had 
been directed at them After continuing in action for some time 
the batterymen were relieved and ordered to return to their own 
guns. The' space between the lines was still exposed to a hot fire 



Capiuke of Peteksburc. 245 

from the enem}'s guns, which continued to belch forth canister 
and shells upon the troops occupying his broken lines. I,ieuten- 
ant Sailor and his men succeeded, however, by a series of tactics 
in running and dropping upon the ground at short intervals in 
returning to their own guns unharmed. 

The guns of Lieutenants Lawrence's and Cuffel's command 
in Fort Meikle were kept hot during the greater portion of the 
day. The enemy still held his lines intact in the immediate 
front of Fort Meikle, upon which the shots of the guns were 
directed whenever any movement of troops in front of them was 
observed. The marksmanship of the gunners was, for the most 
part, excellent, many of the shots striking the earthworks, some of 
them entering the embrasures of the fortifications, which inflicted 
upon the enemy considerable demorilization and damage. As 
opportunity offered he ventured a reply of a shot now and then 
w^hich would bring on a fusilade from the guns of Fort Meikle and 
the ."Seven Sisters," the latter being located on a hill in rear of 
Fort Meikle. 

During the progress of one of these bombardments, Corporal 
(ieorge Hart, enlisted from Reading, had his right arm shattered 
by the premature discharge of the gun which he was serving in the 
capacity of rammer and sponger. He was in the act of ramming 
home the charge of powder which was ignited by sparks of fire 
left in the bore of the gun from the previous discharge through 
imperfect sponging. The force of the explosion threw the ram- 
mer many yards beyond the Union line, and struck the corporal to 
the ground. It was a very unfortunate occurrence. He had just 
been changed from his regular })Ost as gunner of the piece by the 
officer in command to that of rammer, in which duty he was not 
so well experienced. Excited and confused by the change of 
position, he inadvertantly failed to properly sponge the bore of the 
piece, and the dangerous spark remained. He was carried to the 
Ninth Corps hospital, where his arm was amputated at the elbow. 

Late in the afternoon Confederates on horseback were seen to 
enter the fort in front of Fort Meikle, which were presumed to be 
artillery drivers come to remove their guns ; but a i'cw well 
directed shots caused them to retire on a hot gallop. It was 
thought that the enemy's movements indicated an intention to 
withdraw from his hard pressed lines. And now could be seen the 
smoke of Sheridan's bursting shells over and far beyond the Con- 
federate line of works, showing to the troojjs battling before the 



246 Uurkll's 1>atter\-. 

city that he was doubling up and pushing the enemy's right back 
towards Petersburg. It was an inspiring sight to the troops wlio 
had been in the trenches in front of the city so many montlis, and 
hailed as an assurance that the end was in sight. 

During the night additional troops came u\>, and dispositions 
were made to advance the whole line at daybreak. The battery 
was ordered to stock the ammunition chests with a full supply of 
projectiles and be in readiness to move at a moment's notice. All 
felt that an important movement was in contemj)lation and that 
the dissolution of the Army of Northern^\'irginia was near at hand. 
There was little sleep for the troops in the trenches in front of 
Petersburg that night. The anxious exjjectations of the morrow 
dispelled the muse, hard as had been the work of the day. In 
the early part of the night the moon shone brightly, making work 
on the lines and the removal of the dead and the wounded peril- 
ous in the extreme, for the skirmish firing was ke])t up until after 
midnight. 

The night had almost passed before any movement indicating 
that the enemy was evacuating was detected. At 2 o'clock in the 
morning the Confederate pickets were still out, but the evacuation 
had commenced in the darkness hours before. By 3 o'clock tlieir 
troops were all across the river and the only bridge was in flames, 
while the air was luminous with the glare of the burning ware- 
houses. The explosion of magazines \was taken up all along the 
line to Richmond, indicating that the evacuation was accomplished 
and the Confederate army in full retreat. 



t*URsuiT AND Surrender of Lee. 247 



CHAPTER XXX VII. 

Pursuit and Surrender of Lee. 

AT last, after nearly ten months of hard work, the troops of 
the Ninth Corps had the privilege of marching into Peters- 
burg, a city that had been most stubbornly defended. All 
rejoiced that the end had come. This corps was the first of the 
troops of the Army of the Potomac to assault Petersburg, and it 
was fitting that it should be the first to enter the city. 

The skirmishers were at once pressed forward after the occur- 
rence of the explosions and other indications of evacuation, but 
they found no trace of an enemy. The Confederates left hun- 
dreds of cannon in the fortifications and all of their mortars. The 
infantry of the corps went forward and was met by the Mayor and 
a deputation from the Common Council, who announced that the 
city, having been evacuated, was formally surrendered, and asked 
for the protection of the persons and property of the inhabitants. 
At half-past 4 o'clock the flag of the ist Michigan regiment was 
raised upon the court house. 

The guns of the battery were taken out of the fortifications 
which they had occupied all winter, and moved back to the caisson 
park. In compliance with geiieral orders from army headquarters, 
commanding that all batteries should at once be reduced to a four- 
gun footing, Lieutenant Cuffel marched his section on that after- 
noon to City Point, and turned the two guns and two caissons of 
his command over to the ordnance department. The harness 
equipment of the section was also turned in, but the horses were 
retained to supply future needs. 

The battery moved forward to Cemetery Hill on the morning 
of the 4th, crossing the deserted earthworks of both the Union and 
Confederate lines, and parked on the hill. This ground was made 
famous by the charge of the colored troops and their repulse on 
the occasion of the springing of the Burnside mine. The camp 
ground selected, beside the cemetery, was a splendid spot, afford- 
ing a good view of the city on one side, and of the fortified lines of 
both armies on the other. The grass was springing up green and 
beautiful, and the peach and cherry trees were in full bloom. The 



248 DuRELT.'s Battery. 

cemetery grounds had, no doubt, been very pretty before the 
siege, but now a great many of the monuments and headstones 
l)ore the marks of minnie balls, and some had been knocked over 
and broken by cannon balls. The grounds bore evidence of having 
been tramped upon by troops and were in a dilapidated condition. 

In the evening the battery marched through Petersburg to 
the upper section of the city, known as Halifax, and parked on a 
beautiful green lawn located near one of the principal streets. On 
the afternoon of the 5th the march was again taken up, with the 
First Division, under General Willcox, proceeding out along the 
South Side Railroad to Southerland Station, where bivouac was 
made for the night. 

The next morning the column advanced to the Beaseley House, 
beyond Ford Station, and encamped. The sound of cannonading 
came in from the front, which drew no nearer as the command 
advanced, indicating that the enemy was still retreating, but 
showing fight. Information came in from the front that Sheri- 
dan with his cavalry and the Sixth Corps had overtaken the 
fleeing Confederates and captured several thousand of them, be- 
sides nineteen pieces of artillery and 150 baggage wagons. This 
news put the men in the highest spirit, and all believed that the 
rebellion was virtually at an end. 

The country about Ford Station, which had not been despoiled 
by the continued occupation of soldiers, was beautiful in com- 
l^arison with that in the vicinity of Petersburg, which had been 
shorn of fences, houses and trees, its surface presenting nothing 
but a great mass of earthworks resembhng the work of volcanic 
convulsions, now made still more unsightly by the forlorn spectacle 
of forsaken camp grounds. 

At every stage of the march were seen evidences of the hasty 
flight of the Confederate Army. Baggage wagons and artillery 
were abandoned ; arms and camp utensils strewed the path of their 
retreat Ceneral Ord's Corps followed the Army of the Potomac, 
altering the gauge of the South Side Railroad so as to conform with 
that of the military road from City Point. The Ninth Corps fol- 
lowed Ord, being stretched out along tlie railroad to keep com- 
munication open with the front, the road being exposed to guerilla 
raids. 

The news of [,ee's surrender tcj (Irant reached the battery 
while it was encamped at the Beaseley House, and was a piece of 
intelligence which caused the greatest rejoic'ing among the troops. 



}*URStJit AND Surrender of Lee, 249 

All came to the conclusion that the war was ended ; that they had 
seen their last fight ; that the sacrifices of precious Hfe and the 
hardships and struggles of nearly four years' service had now borne 
the precious fruit of a country saved, and that the next great event 
of their hfe would be the muster out of service. It was one of the 
happy days of army experience. 

The battery remained at the Beaseley House until the 14th, 
when it moved down the railroad three miles to Wright Station, 
and on the day following to Wilson Station, where the sad intelli- 
gence of the assassination of President Tjncoln was received. 
From great rejoicing over the virtual close of the war, the spirit of 
the troops was suddenly plunged into gloom that was black and 
deep, over this terrible calamity. Nearly every soldier regarded 
the death of the beloved President as a personal bereavement. 
Ihe bugle called the men together and the dispatch was read to the 
command which was as silent as death during the reading. After 
the parade was dismissed the men gathered in Httle groups about 
the quarters and spoke in tender tones of the martyred President, 
whom they greatly honored and loved. The day was properly ob- 
served throughout the army. All duty that could be dispensed 
with was suspended ; flags were placed at half mast and twenty- 
one guns were fired at meridian. 




2^0 t)uRELL's Battery, 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Return to Washington. 

^^ HERIDAN'S troopers marched by the battery camp on the 
\^ 17th, on their way from the front to City Point. On the 
20th the Ninth Corps broke camp and marched towards 
Petersburg, the artillery moving by a different road from that taken 
by the infantry. This gave a clear course for the battery to march 
twenty-five miles, which it made from the starting time at 10 
o'clock in the morning until dusk in the evening, when it parked 
its guns a few miles south of Petersburg. It was a good day's 
march for artillery. The march was resumed the next morning, 
passing through Petersburg. 

A great change had taken place in the city since the battery 
had left it on the 5th. Nearly all the stores and other places of 
business were open, occupied principally by army suttlers and 
merchants just arrived from the North, who had hastened to this 
point to catch the army trade. Moving on, the battery went into 
park within a mile of City Point at about noon, with orders to await 
transportation to Washington. All the troops of the Ninth Corps 
arrived during the afternoon and went into camp in the vicinity of 
City Point. 

Several days of irksome camp life were spent here. The men 
were impatient to move on to Washington and from thence to 
their homes. The welcome order to move to the wharf and 
embark as ([uickly as possible was received at 4 o'clock on the 
afternoon of the 25th. In fifteen minutes everything was packed 
up, the tents struck, the horses hitched to the gun carriages and 
the battery moving out of park. It had been done in less time 
when under the fire of the enemy's shells, but fifteen minutes was 
considered quick time for a battery to pack up and move. Captain 
Rhoads claimed that it was ample time, and had drilled the battery 
repeatedly on this important movement, (leneral 'I'idball, Chief 
of Artillery, Ninth Corps, and Major Miller, inspecting officer, 
both commended the battery for its general efficiency. 

Arrived at the wharf a steam ferry boat was found in waiting, 
upon which the battery immediately commenced to embark. The 



ksTURN TO Washington. 151 

carriages and the greater number of the horses were stowed in 
this boat, and the remaining horses were loaded on a tug. The 
speed made in loading horses, guns and everything pertaining to 
the battery, was a record breaker. The men had had some 
experience on this line, in its travels by rail to the Ohio River and 
return, and by water to Vicksburg and return. The boat started 
on its course down the James River early in the evening, and the 
"boys" were again happy. There was ample room on the boat, 
and the accommodations were good, for soldiers. There was no 
crowding with infantry, as had been the case on the trip to and 
from Vicksburg. 

The next morning Newport News was passed, the scene of 
the battery's camp in the spring of 1863, and Hampton in the 
distance, among the ruins of which the battery had experienced 
much misery and suffering from the fierce and bitter February 
storm of that year. At Fortress Monroe the transport was hailed 
by a gunboat, and the captain of the former boat called upon to 
report where from, where going, etc., which colloquy ended by 
"All right ; go ahead," and the transport passed out into the bay. 
The weather was pleasant, the water was calm, and the men 
enjoyed the boat ride. 

The Potomac River was entered late in the afternoon, and 
darkness soon cut off the enjoyment of viewing the scenery along 
the shores. Daylight of the 27th brought the boat within a few 
miles of Alexandria. The scenery on both banks was beautiful. 
There were large fortifications, upon the ramparts of which senti- 
nels were walking their beat. The breast of the works were lux- 
riantly green with sod, resembUng the front yard of some stately 
mansion whose owner was a millionare. At all events they did not 
look much like "Fort Hell," in front of Petersburg. 

At 6 o'clock the transport drew up to the U. S. Mail Wharf 
No. 5, at Alexandria, where troops of the Ninth Corps were disem- 
barking. Orders were given to unload the battery, which was 
about completed when the tug carrying the remaining number of 
the battery horses came in. They were soon taken out of the boat, 
and the battery was once more on Virginia's " sacred soil," which 
the men had hoped, on stepping aboard the boat at City Point, 
they would never again be called to set their feet upon. 

The horses were then hitched to the artillery carriages and the 
battery marched through the city, out into the country and parked 
at Fairfax Seminary, the scene of its encampment in the spring of 



ie,i DUREI.I.'S fiATTERV. 

1862, when it was held in readiness to ship for the Peninsula. 
Here it was kept under orders to move at once, and many specu- 
lations as to its next destination circulated in the camp, but the 
general belief was that it would soon be mustered out of service. 

The camp was moved on the nth of May to the south side of 
the Orange and Alexandria Railroad in order to give up that 
ground to the troops of the x\rmy of the Potomac which were still 
arriving. This change brought the battery park nearer to both the 
Potomac River and Alexandria. The daily gun and field drills 
were continued just as though active service was expected of the 
battery in the future. The men now disliked the drills and grum- 
bled not a l.ttle when called out to them, reasoning that there was 
no necessity for them. So long as there was an enemy to fight, 
drills and other duties were, for the most part, willingly performed ; 
but now, that the Confederates had surrendered, all thought and 
desire was of returning home. The monotony of camp life grew 
irksome and made many of the men restive. 




The Grand Review and Muster (Jut. 253 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 
The Grand Review and Muster Out. 

"r> Y May 13th all of the troops of the Army of the Potomac 
X J had arrived from Petersburg and were encamped in the 
vicinity of Bailey's Cross Roads, and Sherman's Army was 
not far distant, approaching on its march from North Carolina. It 
was tlicn currently reported through the camps that a two- days' 
review of the. armies would take place in Washington, after which 
the muster out of troops would begin. So the spirits of the men 
were again revived. 

The grand review came off on the 24th and 25th days of May, 
the battery participating with its corps in the first day's pageant. 
It marched over to Washington on the previous evening and 
bivouacked on East Capitol Hill for the night In the moining it 
was ready to fall into its place in the reviewing column, the head 
of which, composed of Sheridan's troopers, moved at 9 o'clock. 
The Capital was filled with citizens from all parts of the Northern 
and Western States, who had travelled hundreds of miles to wit- 
ness the grand and thrilling spectacle of Grant's victorious armies 
returning from their conquests ; a scene, the like of which had not 
heretofore, and probably would never hereafter, be witnessed. 
The bronzed and battle-scarred veterans were received with the 
heartiest enthusiasm by the crowds of people who walled Pennsyl- 
vania avenue on both sides as the soldiers marched by with their 
bullet-riddled flags waving in the mild spring breeze above them. 
The troops passed by the reviewing stand with the eyes of the 
President, the General of the Armies and an innumerable com- 
pany of dignitaries resting upon them, many of the commands 
cheering just after the stand was passed. But the enthusiasm of 
the troops was sobered by the sincere regret that Abraham Lin- 
coln's kindly eye could not look from the reviewing stand upon 
them. It was the one cloud to cast a shadow upon the glory of the oc- 
casion, 'llie column passed on through the streets of Washington 
and across the Long Bridge into Virginia, the battery reaching its 
camp late in the afternoon. The next day Sherman's Army was 



254 Durell's Battery. 

reviewed, to witness which many of the soldiers of the Army of 
the Potomac were given passes to go to Washington for the day. 

Nearly every citizen who came to the Capital to see the review 
had relatives or friends in the army whom they visited after that great 
event was over. The battery was visited by a number of civihans 
from Berks, Bucks and other points of Pennsylvania, among them 
being Henry T. Darhngton, editor of the Bucks County Intelli- 
gencer, and Hon. Richard Watson, afterward judge of the Bucks 
County courts. Both had served their country in the emergency 
service. They were welcome visitors to the battery and were en- 
tertained in the officers' tents until the following morning, when 
they each mounted an army horse and were escorted by an officer 
and orderly to Alexandria. 

Orders were read to the battery on the 30th, that all the 
artillery of the Ninth Corps was to be mustered out of service 
"with the least possible delay." This was welcome news and 
was received by the men with cheers and great rejoicing. 
The orders directed that all United States property should be 
turned over to the proper governmental authorities at Wash- 
ington, and the command was to proceed to Philadelphia, there 
to remain until the muster out could be effected and the men 
paid. It was thought in camp that the surrender of Kirby 
Smith, which had just taken place, had given wing to this order ; 
that if his, or any other considerable force of Confederates had 
held out longer, the issue of this order would have been delayed. 
Kirby Smith's was the last of the Confederate armies to lay down 
arms. 

On |une 2nd, the battery marched over to Washington and 
turned into the arsenal the guns, caissons, ammunition, etc., and 
the horses into the (Government corral. The day following the 
(.piartermaster's stores were turned over to the keeping of " Uncle 
Sam," and on Sunday evening, June 4th, the command was 
marched to Alexandria, expecting to get transportation by steam- 
boat to Washington. But it was too late in the evening to receive 
it, so the company marched the eight miles distance to Washington 
and bivouacked at midnight on the side walks near the Baltimore 
Railroad depot. The men were very much fatigued, but most of 
them slept as soundly on the hard sidewalk as they would on a 
good bed. 

Regiment after regiment was loaded on the trains and sent 
away hap))y to their homes during the morning, but the battery 



The (rRAND Review and Muster Out. 255 

seemed to be neglected. At last the company was ordered to 
climb into freight cars. The train left at noon and made a long 
stop at Baltimore. This was a vexatious delay, for no locomotive 
had speed enough to take the men to their homes too soon. The 
train left at 7 o'clock in the evening and arrived at the Broad and 
Prime streets depot, Philadelphia, at 1.30 in the morning of the 
6th. The company was marched down to the Union Volunteer 
Refreshment Saloon, where the men received a substantial break- 
fast, which did them much good and was highly appreciated, as 
they had had but httle to eat since the breakfast of the previous day. 
After this meal most of them lay down to sleep until daylight 

Early in the morning the company was marched up town to 
Camp Cadwallader, where it had an opportunity to view the filthy 
barracks of that camp. Captain Rhoads learned that his company 
could not be mustered out of service there, but that he must go to 
Camp Discharge, at Spring Mill Barracks, distant sixteen miles up 
the Schuylkill River. So he marched his command back to the 
Broad and Callovhill streets depot of the Reading Railroad, where 
a train was boarded which landed it at Spring Mill early in the 
evening. 

Here the company remained until the muster-out papers were 
finished, an extra force of clerks having been detailed to hurry the 
completion of the rolls. The barracks were clean and commodi- 
ous. The location was very beautiful, elevated upon one of the high 
hills overlooking the Schuylkill River and the country beyond. 
But the scenery had no charm for soldiers who were anxious to 
reach home and loved ones. Passes were granted to some to 
spend a day or two in Philadelphia, Reading and other points, and 
a number of others went home without permission. 

On the morning of June 13th three special cars were coupled 
to an early passenger train at Spring Mill Station, containing as 
hdppy a company of men as ever drew the breath of lile. They 
were on their way to Philadelphia to obtain a final settlement with 
the muster-out officer and paymaster, which would permit them to 
enjoy "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," as citizens of 
the United States. 

After arriving at the depot a long march was made to Soutli 
Third street. Here a weary halt was endured on the sidewalk 
which was prolonged to a late hour in the afternoon. Then an- 
other march was made to Girard street, where the men received 
their discharge papers and pay. It was 6 o'clock before the pay- 



256 Durell's Battery. 

master had settled with the last man on the roll — too late for 
many of them to return home that day. After a general inter- 
change of handshaking and farewell the men scattered off in squads, 
and the battery as a military organization under the Ignited States 
(iovernment had ceased to exist. 

There was no formal reception given to the returning battery- 
men either by the citizens of Reading or Doylestown, but they 
were, nevertheless, heartily received by friends and fellow citizens 
on the streets and at their homes, showing a due appreciation of 
their services for their country. 



.^^fe' 



Itinerary of Durell's Battel'. 257 



ITINERARY OF DURELL'S BATTERY. 

The following are the points which were reached by the bat- 
tery, by marches, transports and railway : 

From Doylestown via Philadelphia and Baltimore to Washing- 
ton ; to Munson's Hill, Va. ; to Centreville and return to Fairfax 
Seminary ; to Fredericksburg via Centreville, Manassas and Cat- 
lett ; to Thoroughfare Crap and return via Haymarket and Warren- 
ton ; to Culpepper via Rappahannock Station ; to Washington via 
Kelly's Ford, Rappahannock Station, Fayetteville, Warrenton 
Junction, Bristoe, Manassas, Bull Run, Centreville and Chantilly; 
through Maryland to South Mountain, Antietam and Pleasant 
Valley ; to Fredericksburg via Berlin, Amissville, White Sulphur 
Springs and Warrenton ; to Newport News via Aquia Creek and 
transport to Hampton, Va. ; to Paris, Ky. , via Baltimore, Harris- 
burg, Pittsburg, Cincinnati and Cynthiana ; to Mount Sterling, 
Richmond, Boonesboro, Paint Lick, Dick River, Stmford, Hick- 
man's Br dge, Nicholasville and Lexington ; by rail to Louisville 
via F"ranl<fort ; by transport to Vicksburg, Miss. ; to Jackson and 
return ; by transport to Covington, Ky. ; to Johnsons' Island, Lake 
Erie, and return ; by rail to Reading and Doylestown ami return 
to Annapolis, Md. ; to Washington ; to Petersburg via Manassas, 
the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor and Charles City 
Court House ; by various flank movements in extending the 
Petersburg investing lines to Wilson Station ; to Alexandria via 
Petersburg, City Point and Fortress Monroe ; to Spring Mill Bar- 
racks via Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia. 

By marches, about 1800 miles ; by water, 3000 miles ; by 
railway, 2900 miles — total 7700 miles. 



258 



Durell's Battery. 



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Roster of Durell's Battery, 



259 



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2 ft 



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— oouk SOCJO 
oooctJiooo 



oi 



o 



a a c ^ 
2 ° °>5 



aill 

fcf 3 ?J s 

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a § 3 a o^h"-,.3 

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Roster of Durell's Battery. 



261 



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262 



Durell's Battery, 



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Roster of Durell's Battery. 263 



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264 



Durell's Battery. 



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Roster of Durell's Battery. 



265 



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01 


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s 


d at An 
2. 

8, 1861. 
18, 1864 

Vet. 

Vet. 
une 13, 
barged 








Ph 


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10 ~ ic ic >d .--' It; 10 9 jf If- .n 


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inds recei 

Oct. 26, 

, D C„ D 

m, Va., 

une 13, 18 
une 13, 18 
h battery 
N. Y. ; d 


5c rH X X x X » Qc "^ 00 00 x> 

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01 oiaidJoiu^^aiaioipQa 




ig. 20, 1863, from 
Pleasant Valley, 
fever, at Washin 
colic, at Feeble' 
nuster-out roll, 
d out with batte 
d out with batte 
te ; mustered ou 
rred from Co. G, 




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rout 
with 
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with 
with 
with 
with 
witli 
with 
tered 
with 
with 
with 
expir 
expir 
expir 


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t with 
t with 
expir 
t with 
)nic di 




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on 
Btere 
nsfe 
stere 
stere 
stere 
stere 
stere 
stere 
fted 
stere 
stere 
stere 
char 
char 
char 




o2||S,o 


.2;.2i.2.io = =-2 £ 


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^^ OCT 83 

^^5^ N. MANCHESTER, » ~ 
«!=^ INDIANA 46962 ■ ' 



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